EC failed in its duty, Trinamool claims after Commission promises unique national EPIC number

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| Picture Credit score: The Hindu

Reacting to an announcement by the Election Commission of India (ECI) that it’s going to guarantee a unique national EPIC (Election Picture Id Card) number to the prevailing electors and can repair the problem in three months, the Trinamool Congress on Friday mentioned that ECI has failed in its responsibility.

“After providing flimsy clarifications, @ECISVEEP lastly admits to manipulating the voter record. Now, in a last-ditch try at harm management, they declare they are going to “repair the problem” in 3 months,” the Trinamool Congress mentioned on social media platform X from its official deal with.

Trinamool Congress chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had raised the problem of two electors having the identical EPIC numbers on February 27, following which the ECI clarified that duplication in EPIC number doesn’t indicate duplicate or pretend voters.

On Friday (March 7, 2025), the ECI issued one other press assertion titled ‘Commission to deal with decade-long subject of duplicate EPIC numbers in subsequent 3 months’.

“The one cause this rip-off has been uncovered is as a result of Smt. @MamataOfficial known as out the ECI’s and nailed them to the wall,” the West Bengal’s ruling occasion mentioned.

Elevating questions comparable to how did an “incorrect sequence” slip by way of and what occurred to the software program meant to detect duplicate EPICs, the Trinamool Congress mentioned, “ The ECI has not simply failed in its responsibility, it has grow to be a prepared confederate in @BJP4India’s electoral fraud”.

Within the social media publish the Trinamool Congress requested if this “manipulation has been taking place since 2000, why was NOTHING performed for 25 years and why was the ECI nonetheless silent on the number of duplicate voter IDs presently in circulation”.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha Mp Saket Gokhale additionally took to social media and mentioned, “Election Commission of India has lastly ADMITTED & ACCEPTED their guilt immediately that duplicate EPIC numbers have been allotted to a number of individuals”.

In the meantime, in West Bengal confusion prevailed over door to door surveys of electoral rolls. On Friday not solely the leaders of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) however some leaders of the Trinamool Congress together with MLAs from Bardhaman Purba mentioned that Bangladesh nationals have made into the voter record of the State.

There’s additionally hypothesis among the many occasion that Trinamool basic secretary Abhishek Banerjee will maintain a separate assembly with occasion leaders on the voter record subject. The occasion chairperson has already arrange a committee on February 27 to look into the problem.