Mon Mar 17 05:32:38 UTC 2025: **Trinamool Congress Demands Parliament Debate on Duplicate Voter ID Issue**
NEW DELHI, March 17, 2025 – With Parliament’s Budget Session resuming today, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien has demanded a parliamentary debate on the issue of duplicate voter ID cards. O’Brien, the TMC’s Rajya Sabha leader, called the issue “at the core of democracy” in a post on X, referencing a previous request for an open discussion. Several opposition parties, including those from the south, are echoing this demand, focusing on both duplicate EPIC numbers and the delimitation issue.
The controversy stems from allegations of duplicate electoral photo identity card (EPIC) numbers across different states, first raised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The TMC, in a memorandum to the Election Commission of India (ECI), further alleged the cloning of Aadhaar cards to facilitate fake voter registrations.
The ECI admitted to the existence of identical EPIC numbers due to a previous decentralised and manual system, but stated that other voter details remain unique. The commission attributed the problem to some electoral registration officers’ incorrect use of EPIC number series before the implementation of the ERONET platform. The ECI has pledged to resolve the issue within three months and is scheduled to meet with relevant officials on March 18th to discuss linking voter IDs with Aadhaar. Despite the ECI’s explanation, the TMC continues to view the situation as a serious matter requiring immediate parliamentary attention.
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