Election Commission addresses concerns over duplicate voter ID numbers, says ‘EPIC numbers do not indicate fake voters’
3 weeks ago

Election Commission addresses concerns over duplicate voter ID numbers, says ‘EPIC numbers do not indicate fake voters’

Live Mint  

The Election Commission of India has clarified that the occurrence of duplicate EPIC numbers does not indicate the presence of duplicate or fake voters. The clarification comes after concerns were raised on social media and through media reports about electors in different States/UTs having identical EPIC numbers. "The Election Commission has taken cognizance of certain social media posts and media reports flagging the issue of electors of two states having identical EPIC numbers. For Indian voters, the Election Commission's clarification means that duplicate Electors Photo Identity Card numbers across different states or constituencies do not suggest that fake or duplicate voters exist.

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History of this topic

ECI sets the ball rolling on linking voter ID card with Aadhaar
4 days, 15 hours ago

ECI sets the ball rolling on linking voter ID card with Aadhaar

The Hindu  

The Election Commission on Tuesday set the ball rolling for linking Aadhaar with Electoral Photo Identity Card numbers. Commenting on the EC statement on its intent to link EPIC Voter ID numbers with Aadhaar numbers, the Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts of the Congress in a statement said the EC must consult all political parties/stakeholders and assure them …

Derek O’Brien asks if government ready to discuss duplicate voter ID issue in Parliament
6 days, 1 hour ago

Derek O’Brien asks if government ready to discuss duplicate voter ID issue in Parliament

The Hindu  

With Parliament's Budget Session resuming on Monday after a four-day break, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien said the opposition wanted a debate on the issue of duplicate voter ID cards and asked if the government was ready for it. Parliament Budget Session: Follow LIVE updates on March 17, 2025 In a memorandum to the Election Commission of India last week, …

Duplicate Voter IDs? ECI in Crisis as EPIC Number Duplication Sparks Controversy
1 week, 1 day ago

Duplicate Voter IDs? ECI in Crisis as EPIC Number Duplication Sparks Controversy

The Hindu  

Published : Mar 14, 2025 19:07 IST - 6 MINS READ Controversy continues to dog the Election Commission, and this time, it finds itself in the eye of a storm over the duplication of EPIC numbers. The ECI’s first response came on March 2, when it said it had taken cognisance of “certain social media posts and media reports flagging …

Are unique electoral ID numbers being duplicated? | Explained
1 week, 6 days ago

Are unique electoral ID numbers being duplicated? | Explained

The Hindu  

The story so far: On February 27, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the ruling BJP was “with the blessings of Election Commission of India ” including voters from other States in the West Bengal voters’ list. The Commission said that the allotment of identical EPIC numbers to some voters from different States or UTs was due to …

Opposition looks to corner govt in Parl session over Waqf law, EPIC
2 weeks, 1 day ago

Opposition looks to corner govt in Parl session over Waqf law, EPIC

Hindustan Times  

Drawing the battlelines for the second half of the Budget session of Parliament, which starts on March 10, various Opposition parties, including the Congress, are preparing to push a raft of notices seeking a debate on the duplicate voter I-card issue, with people aware of the matter saying the Opposition will also try to stall the controversial Waqf law amendments …

Will address duplicate voter ID numbers soon: ECI
2 weeks, 1 day ago

Will address duplicate voter ID numbers soon: ECI

Hindustan Times  

The Election Commission of India on Friday announced plans to replace all duplicate Elector Photo Identity Card numbers with unique identifiers within the next three months, but reiterated that the duplication of the numbers did not mean there were fake voters. The commission said it had carried out a “sample enquiry” of over 100 electors and found that those with …

EC to Resolve EPIC Duplication in 3 Months
2 weeks, 1 day ago

EC to Resolve EPIC Duplication in 3 Months

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: Responding to concerns raised over duplicate EPIC numbers, the Election Commission of India announced on Friday its plan to resolve the long-standing discrepancies within three months. The party also expressed dissatisfaction over the ECI’s reluctance to provide voter roll copies, particularly regarding recent controversies during the Maharashtra assembly elections. Clarifying its position, the ECI stated that duplicate numbers …

ECI Promises To Resolve Duplicate Voter ID Issue In 3 Months; TMC Claims 'Admission Of Guilt'
Trending News
2 weeks, 1 day ago

ECI Promises To Resolve Duplicate Voter ID Issue In 3 Months; TMC Claims 'Admission Of Guilt'

ABP News  

Amid allegations of a cover-up regarding duplicate voter identity card numbers, the Election Commission of India on Friday announced that it will address the "decades-long" issue within the next three months. Duplicate EPIC Numbers: TMC MP Saket Gokhale Alleges 'Admission Of Guilt' The issue was flagged by the Trinamool Congress, which accused the ECI of a cover-up. "The Election Commission …

Election Commission to fix duplicate voter ID numbers issue in 3 months
Top News
2 weeks, 1 day ago

Election Commission to fix duplicate voter ID numbers issue in 3 months

The Hindu  

Amid the controversy over duplicate Voter ID Card numbers issued to some electors, the Election Commission of India on Friday said it would resolve the matter in the next three months by ensuring a unique national EPIC number to all voters. The Trinamool Congress, which had first raised the issue of duplicate Voter IDs, was quick to react saying “the …

'Decades-long' duplicate voter I card numbers issue to be addressed in three months: Election Commission
2 weeks, 2 days ago

'Decades-long' duplicate voter I card numbers issue to be addressed in three months: Election Commission

India TV News  

'Decades-long' duplicate voter I card numbers issue to be addressed in three months: Election Commission The poll authority said India's electoral rolls are the biggest database of electors across the globe with over 99 crore registered voters. Amid allegations of a cover-up on the issue of duplicate voter identity card numbers, the Election Commission on Friday said it will address …

Duplication in EPIC numbers to be rectified within three months: ECI
Top News
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Duplication in EPIC numbers to be rectified within three months: ECI

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India on Friday announced that it would address the decade long issue of duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Card numbers within next three months. The ECI has decided on this in the wake of criticism from Opposition parties, including the Congress and the TMC, as it also claimed that it has already taken cognizance of …

​Double trouble: On elections, the EPIC number and the voter
Trending News
2 weeks, 4 days ago

​Double trouble: On elections, the EPIC number and the voter

The Hindu  

The integrity of the electoral system in India is dependent upon the confidence reposed in it by prospective voters and the participatory political parties. A new complaint after recent State elections relates to the increased number of electors in the Assembly polls when compared to the numbers registered in the general election for the same year. This along with the …

How can voters in different states end up with same EPIC numbers? | In Focus podcast
2 weeks, 4 days ago

How can voters in different states end up with same EPIC numbers? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

The All India Trinamool Congress has released documents showing that some voters in West Bengal have the same EPIC numbers as some voters in states like Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab. The Election Commission has attributed the duplication of EPIC numbers to a manual, decentralised system of allotting EPIC system that predated the current electoral database platform called ERONET. But the …

CEC Gyanesh Kumar asks poll officials to hold all party meetings, resolve issues
2 weeks, 4 days ago

CEC Gyanesh Kumar asks poll officials to hold all party meetings, resolve issues

Hindustan Times  

Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday asked state chief electoral officers to hold all party meetings and resolve issues within the statutory framework, emphasising no electoral staff or officer should be intimidated using false claims. Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at a conference of poll officials. “.fulfil all statutory obligations diligently and as per the existing legal framework.,” he …

TMC calls EC's clarification on duplicate voter IDs 'cover-up,' citing contradiction in its own rules
Top News
2 weeks, 5 days ago

TMC calls EC's clarification on duplicate voter IDs 'cover-up,' citing contradiction in its own rules

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday dismissed the Election Commission's clarifications on duplicate voter ID numbers as a "cover-up" and cited the poll panel's own guidelines to assert that two cards cannot have identical numbers. While the EC said photo ID cards with the same numbers were issued to multiple voters due to certain states using the same "alphanumeric …

Why Trinamool Congress issued EC a 24-hour ultimatum
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Why Trinamool Congress issued EC a 24-hour ultimatum

India Today  

The Trinamool Congress has expressed dissatisfaction with the Election Commission’s response regarding the duplication of voter ID numbers in West Bengal, an issue the party alleges compromises electoral integrity. TMC’s Rajya Sabha parliamentary party leader Derek O’Brien, at a media conference in New Delhi, demanded that the EC formally accept the “error” within 24 hours or face further revelations from …

Duplicate voter IDs, name deletions trigger row in Bengal; EC assures rectification
Top News
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Duplicate voter IDs, name deletions trigger row in Bengal; EC assures rectification

Hindustan Times  

19-year-old Akash Saha, a resident of Kolkata’s Ultadanga area, Pradip Sarkar, 61, from Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district and Taslim Mian, 54, who lives at Gangarampur in north Bengal’s South Dinajpur district, don’t know each other but have become subjects of a raging political issue alongside a few thousand other West Bengal residents before the 2026 assembly polls in …

TMC Cites EC Note to Back Claims of Voter List Anomalies
2 weeks, 6 days ago

TMC Cites EC Note to Back Claims of Voter List Anomalies

Deccan Chronicle  

Kolkata: The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal said the Election Commission's statement that duplicate numbers do not necessarily imply fake voters backed its claims about the inclusion of non-resident voters in the state's electoral list to help a "particular party". Amid reports flagging the issuance of identical voter card numbers to electors in two different states, the EC in …

ECI clarifies same EPIC number doesn’t imply duplicate or fake voters
2 weeks, 6 days ago

ECI clarifies same EPIC number doesn’t imply duplicate or fake voters

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: Same electors photo identify card number does not imply duplicate or fake voters, the Election Commision of India clarified on Saturday. The EC added that to do away with this confusion, it will ensure allotment of a unique EPIC number to all registered electors, and the ‘ERONET 2.0 platform’ will be updated to facilitate and support this process …

ECI statement on EPIC duplication proves Mamata’s allegations of poll fraud are true: Trinamool
2 weeks, 6 days ago

ECI statement on EPIC duplication proves Mamata’s allegations of poll fraud are true: Trinamool

The Hindu  

The Election Commission of India statement on the duplication of voter ID card numbers is a damage-control exercise that proves the allegations of electoral roll manipulation made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress said on Sunday. Democracy is not a Modi-made product that can be tampered, tweaked, and sold off.” ‘Damage control’ On February 27, Ms. …

ECI: Identical EPIC numbers don’t indicate duplicate or fake voters
2 weeks, 6 days ago

ECI: Identical EPIC numbers don’t indicate duplicate or fake voters

Op India  

The Election Commission of India on Sunday clarified that having the same Electors Photo Identity Card number doesn’t mean there are duplicate or fake voters. Cases of duplicate EPIC numbers due to use of identical alphanumeric series in two States/UTs Unique EPIC number to be allotted to registered electors The ECI’s clarification comes after concerns were raised on social media …

ECI allays fears on duplicate Voter ID numbers; says will ensure unique ID
2 weeks, 6 days ago

ECI allays fears on duplicate Voter ID numbers; says will ensure unique ID

The Hindu  

Taking cognizance of certain reports that electors in two different States were getting the same Voter ID numbers, the Election Commission of India on Sunday said irrespective of the EPIC number, a person can cast a vote only at their designated polling stations in their respective constituencies in their States or Union Territories. Certain social media posts had flagged the …

EC Weighs In On 'Duplicate EPIC Numbers' Row, Explains How It Happened: 'Not A Sign Of Voter Fraud'
2 weeks, 6 days ago

EC Weighs In On 'Duplicate EPIC Numbers' Row, Explains How It Happened: 'Not A Sign Of Voter Fraud'

ABP News  

The Election Commission of India in a statement said that it has taken cognizance of the social media posts and news reports regarding electors who have the same number on their Election Photo Identity Card or Voter identity cards. The election body explained that while the numbers maybe identical, other details such as “demographic details, Assembly Constituency and polling booth …

TMC Alleges 'Voter Fraud', Flags Duplicate EPIC Numbers in Rolls; EC Clarifies
2 weeks, 6 days ago

TMC Alleges 'Voter Fraud', Flags Duplicate EPIC Numbers in Rolls; EC Clarifies

The Quint  

The All India Trinamool Congress, on 28 February, shared a list of people with duplicate EPIC numbers in voter rolls of West Bengal, and other states such as Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. For context, an EPIC or Electors' Photo Identification Card carries the EPIC number — a 10-digit unique identification number assigned by the Election Commission of India to …

Duplication of voter card numbers doesn't imply fake voters: Election Commission
Top News
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Duplication of voter card numbers doesn't imply fake voters: Election Commission

Hindustan Times  

The Election Commission of India responded to claims flagging the issuance of identical voter card numbers on Sunday, stating that the duplication of the voter card numbers did not necessarily mean that there were fake voters, reported PTI. Representational picture: The ECI has said that duplicate EPIC numbers don't necessarily indicate fake voters The issue of fake voters had been …

Having same EPIC numbers doesn’t duplicate or fake voters: Election Commission of India
Top News
3 weeks ago

Having same EPIC numbers doesn’t duplicate or fake voters: Election Commission of India

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: Addressing certain social media posts that suggested electors in two different states were getting the same Voter ID numbers, the Election Commission of India dismissed the possibility of duplications. However, the poll panel in a statement further clarified that the Commission will work to avoid even this duplication by allotting voters unique Electors Photo Identity Card numbers. It …

Duplicate voter ID numbers doesn't indicate fake voters, poll body clarifies
Top News
3 weeks ago

Duplicate voter ID numbers doesn't indicate fake voters, poll body clarifies

India Today  

The Election Commission of India has dismissed allegations of electoral roll manipulation, stating that duplicate Electors Photo Identity Card numbers do not indicate "fake or duplicate voters". The clarification comes amid concerns raised on social media and by opposition leaders regarding identical EPIC numbers assigned to voters in different states. "The Election Commission has taken cognisance of certain social media …

Duplication of voter card numbers does not indicate fake voters, says EC
3 weeks ago

Duplication of voter card numbers does not indicate fake voters, says EC

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: Amid reports flagging issuance of identical voter card numbers to electors in two different states, the Election Commission on Sunday said duplicate numbers do not necessarily imply fake voters. It also said that while elector photo identity card numbers of some of the voters "may be identical", the other details including demographic details, assembly constituency and polling booth …

Fraud of EPIC proportions: Trinamool after poll body clarification on voter IDs
3 weeks ago

Fraud of EPIC proportions: Trinamool after poll body clarification on voter IDs

India Today  

The Trinamool Congress on Sunday launched a blistering attack on the 'neutral' Election Commission, accusing the poll body of being a "BJP's poll-rigging department" after it dismissed allegations of electoral roll manipulation. Accusing the poll panel of enabling large-scale election fraud, the Mamata Banerjee-led party alleged that the BJP attempted to rig elections by assigning duplicate Electors Photo Identity Card …

Candidates raise concern over duplicate votes in Tirupati Assembly constituency
11 months, 1 week ago

Candidates raise concern over duplicate votes in Tirupati Assembly constituency

The Hindu  

With a whopping 38,493 duplicate votes reportedly being registered in the Tirupati Assembly constituency, doubts began to arise over the fairness of the conduct of the upcoming elections. Recently, TDP–BJP–JSP alliance candidate for Tirupati Assembly constituency, Arani Srinivasulu, submitted yet another representation to the Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena at Amaravati, urging him to remove the double entry votes. …

How Duplicate Voter Entries Are Determined? Supreme Court Asks Election Commission Of India
1 year, 1 month ago

How Duplicate Voter Entries Are Determined? Supreme Court Asks Election Commission Of India

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Mondayy sought the response of the Election Commission Of India on certain specific queries regarding the deletion of duplicate entries from the electoral rolls. The bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra was hearing the petition filed by Samvidhan Bachao Trust, an NGO, raising the issue of duplicate voter entries. Our …

Newly Enrolled Voters in Andhra Pradesh to Receive EPICs by February 15
1 year, 1 month ago

Newly Enrolled Voters in Andhra Pradesh to Receive EPICs by February 15

Deccan Chronicle  

Vijayawada: All the newly enrolled voters of Andhra Pradesh, including the first-timers of 18–19 years of age, are likely to get their Electoral Photo Identity Cards by February 15. I can show it off to all my friends and kin claiming that I have become a voter and have cast my vote in a free and fair manner.” As per …

Electors can go to jail for providing false information, says CEO
1 year, 3 months ago

Electors can go to jail for providing false information, says CEO

The Hindu  

The Chief Electoral Officer warned electors against providing false information in the voter application form, saying that it could warrant imprisonment for up to one year. The YSRCP, on December 9, released copies of the memo issued by the CEO on December 7 “A declaration has to be filed in Form 8 that I am aware that making a statement …

ECI deletes duplicate entries, makes correction in electoral roll: Report
2 years, 7 months ago

ECI deletes duplicate entries, makes correction in electoral roll: Report

Live Mint  

The Election Commission of India has made some correction and deletions in the electoral roll. Over the period of last seven months, the ECI has deleted duplicate entries in the electoral roll and removed or corrected around 10 million of them, HindustanTimes has reported citing officials familiar with the matter. Around 20 lakhs.corrections were also processed.” A second official also …

Election Commission considers proposal for digitisation of voter ids
4 years, 3 months ago

Election Commission considers proposal for digitisation of voter ids

Hindustan Times  

The Election Commission of India is considering a proposal to digitise voter id cards and do away with hardcopies, people familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times. The Elector’s Photo Identity Card is presently available in form of a hardcopy and may now be available as a PDF. The digitisation process of the Elector’s Photo Identity Card could begin before …

EPIC Change: Voter ID Cards to go Digital Before Elections in Five States Next Year
4 years, 3 months ago

EPIC Change: Voter ID Cards to go Digital Before Elections in Five States Next Year

News 18  

Your voter identity card is set to go digital. Once the final decision comes from the Election Commission of India, voters will be able to download their Electors Photo Identity Card or voter ID card and vote using the digital version. According to sources, newly enrolled voters will get the facility automatically and existing voters will have to complete some …

How to apply for duplicate voter ID card
4 years, 9 months ago

How to apply for duplicate voter ID card

India Today  

A voter ID card is one of the most important documents issued by the government. Steps to apply Online duplicate voter id card The Election Commission of India has now introduced an online application process for duplicate voter ID cards across all states and union territories. Now, you can apply for a duplicate card from the comfort of your home …

Government preparing law to link Aadhaar to Voter ID
5 years, 1 month ago

Government preparing law to link Aadhaar to Voter ID

India TV News  

Union Law Ministry has been working on a Cabinet note to prepare a new law after considering the Election Commission's proposal to give it statutory backing to collect the Aadhaar numbers of new applicants and existing voters to check multiple entries in the electoral rolls. "The Ministry is busy in preparing a Cabinet note considering Election Commission's proposal to tweak …

Multiple entries of voters removed, says Election Commission of India
6 years ago

Multiple entries of voters removed, says Election Commission of India

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: Clarifying allegations on removal of voters names based on the location of their nativity, caste, and surnames from the electoral lists of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the Election Commission of India submitted to the Telangana High Court that multiple entries of voters were removed by identifying them with the use of a de-duplication software. The ECI informed the court …

Election Commission likely to resume voluntary linkage of Aadhaar with voter IDs
6 years, 5 months ago

Election Commission likely to resume voluntary linkage of Aadhaar with voter IDs

Hindustan Times  

The Election Commission might resume the process of linking Aadhaar number to the election photo identification card on a voluntary basis, an official aware of the developments said on Wednesday. The Election Commission is currently studying the Supreme Court’s order on Wednesday that ruled Aadhaar is mandatory for filing of income tax returns and allotment of Permanent Account Number. “The …

EC confirms seizure of 9,764 voter ID cards and over a lakh counterfoils for additional new names in electoral rolls
6 years, 10 months ago

EC confirms seizure of 9,764 voter ID cards and over a lakh counterfoils for additional new names in electoral rolls

Op India  

The battleground Karnataka just got dirtier as political parties fight tooth and nail to win the big election during the run-up to the 2019 general elections. Last night, thousands of voter ID cards, neatly bundled, were found in an apartment in Bengaluru along with laptops, printers and about one lakh form six counterfoils used for new addition of names in …

Karnataka polls: Election Commission seizes nearly 10,000 voter ID cards from Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency
6 years, 10 months ago

Karnataka polls: Election Commission seizes nearly 10,000 voter ID cards from Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency

Firstpost  

The Election Commission on Tuesday night ordered an enquiry into nearly 10,000 voter identity cards recovered from Raja Rajeshwari Nagar Constituency in Bengaluru. The Election Commission Tuesday night ordered an enquiry into nearly 10,000 voter identity cards recovered from an apartment in Bengaluru’s Jalahalli area in the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency which the Congress claims belongs to a BJP leader. …

32 crore Aadhaar numbers connected to voter IDs, says Chief Election Commissioner
7 years ago

32 crore Aadhaar numbers connected to voter IDs, says Chief Election Commissioner

Op India  

The Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat revealed that 32 crore Aadhaar numbers have been connected to voter IDs in the country. He informed that EC would ensure that the same would be done to rest of the 54.5 crore voter IDs after Supreme court gave it verdict in an ongoing case. The 32 crore voter IDs were seeded in a …

EC releases voters' data for Andhra Pradesh
11 years, 1 month ago

EC releases voters' data for Andhra Pradesh

India TV News  

Hyderabad : The latest data on voters in Andhra Pradesh pegs their number in the state at over 6.24 crore, according to figures released today by the Chief Electoral Oficer here. The final electoral roll under summary revision will be published on January 31.Among the milestones achieved in the state, 33,64,554 dead, shifted or duplicate entries were weeded out from …

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