New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress on Monday expressed dissatisfaction with the Election Commission’s response on the duplication of voter card numbers, saying the poll panel must accept the error within 24 hours.
Addressing a press conference here, TMC Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Party Leader Derek O’Brien said if the EC fails to do it, the party would release more documents related to the issue on Tuesday morning.
O’Brien, along with TMC Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose and Lok Sabha MP Kirti Azad, displayed lists with details of voter ID cards with the same EPIC number.
“We want only residents of a state to vote in that state. Only voters of Bengal to vote in Bengal… Voters will not be allowed to vote as their votes will be cast by people with identical EPIC numbers,” O’Brien said.
“These people will be sneaked in from other states to vote. This is unacceptable,” he added.
Amid reports flagging issuance of identical voter card numbers to electors in two different states, the EC on Sunday said it would rectify the issue and also update its technology-driven platform.
The poll authority asserted that while the elector photo identity card (EPIC) numbers of some of the voters “may be identical”, the other details, including demographic details, assembly constituency and polling booth, are different.
Terming it an “Epic Scam”, O’Brien alleged that the poll panel issued the statement after the TMC announced that it was going to hold a press conference on the issue.
“Limited appreciation of the EC. I say limited because EC is admitting the error but not accepting the error,” he said.
“In the next 24 hours, we humbly ask the EC to also accept the error. If not, we will share a document at 9 am on Tuesday morning,” he said.
The TMC leaders also demanded an in-depth investigation into the matter.
Ghose, meanwhile, said the revelations made by TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee have proven what so far were just allegations.
Showing an electoral list, she said, “The original voter ID card is from Bengal, and the same number is being used by another voter in another state. How can two people have the same EPIC number?”
“This is a scam, a scandal and a criminal offence. There should be a time-bound inquiry, and the masterminds of this scam should be punished. We want to appeal to (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi to stop misusing government machinery for this kind of attack on democracy. We will not allow the BJP to demolish democracy in India”.
Azad also sought a thorough investigation into the issue and said it raises serious concerns over the state of democracy.
“It needs to be probed who are the officials of the Election Commission involved in this. Our leader Mamata Banerjee has warned that she can sit on a hunger strike at the EC office in Delhi,” he said.
The TMC leaders shared a list containing the details of 129 voter ID cards from West Bengal and Haryana that had the same EPIC number.
According to a source, the issue will be raised in the upcoming Parliament session, and the TMC is also in touch with some other INDIA bloc parties that have raised concern over voters’ lists in their states.
The EC on Sunday said identical EPIC numbers or series were allotted to some electors from different states and Union territories due to a “decentralised and manual mechanism” being followed prior to shifting of the electoral roll database of all states to the ERONET (Electoral Roll Management) platform.
