Sun Mar 02 08:01:00 UTC 2025: ## Election Commission Clarifies Duplicate EPIC Numbers, Denies Fake Voters Claim

**New Delhi, March 2, 2025** – The Election Commission of India (ECI) today dismissed allegations of widespread voter fraud, clarifying that duplicate Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers do not indicate the presence of fake voters. The ECI attributed the duplication to a now-obsolete decentralized, manual system used before the nationwide shift to the digital ERONET platform. This explanation follows accusations by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who claimed the BJP, in collusion with the ECI, added fake voters to the state’s electoral rolls.

Ms. Banerjee presented evidence of seemingly duplicate EPIC numbers shared across different states, alleging that this indicated the addition of fake voters from states like Haryana and Gujarat to the West Bengal electoral rolls. She accused the BJP of using this tactic to win elections in Maharashtra and Delhi, and warned of a similar strategy being employed in West Bengal ahead of next year’s assembly polls.

The ECI countered that while some EPIC numbers might be identical, other voter details, including demographic information, assembly constituency, and polling booth, remain unique. The commission stressed that voters can only cast ballots at their designated polling station, regardless of the EPIC number. The duplication, the ECI explained, resulted from different state election offices using the same alphanumeric series for EPIC numbers under the old system.

To address concerns, the ECI announced its plan to assign unique EPIC numbers to all registered electors through updates to the ERONET 2.0 platform.

Responding to the ECI’s clarification, senior BJP leader Amit Malviya criticized Ms. Banerjee for spreading misinformation, suggesting it was an attempt to deflect from her anticipated defeat in the 2026 elections. Mr. Malviya urged the ECI to prioritize a cleanup of the Bengal voter rolls, specifically targeting the removal of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya settlers, and preventing the removal of linguistic minorities and Hindu refugees from the rolls.

Read More