ECI to Resolve Duplicate EPIC Number Issue Within Three Months

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that it will address the long-standing issue of duplicate Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers within the next three months. The decision follows extensive discussions within the Commission’s technical teams and Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from various States and Union Territories.

Largest Electoral Database in the World

India’s electoral roll, the largest database of electors globally, has over 99 crore registered voters. The Commission continuously updates the rolls through an Annual Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise, conducted between October and December each year, with the final list published in January. For states and UTs going to the polls, an additional SSR is conducted before elections.

Process of Electoral Roll Verification

The electoral roll updation process involves multiple levels of verification:

Booth-Level Officers (BLOs), appointed by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), conduct house-to-house field verification.

Booth-Level Agents (BLAs), designated by political parties, are authorized to inspect the rolls and report anomalies.

Electoral rolls are published in draft form, allowing for public scrutiny and objections before the final version is issued.

Appeal Mechanism: Any objections can be raised before the District Magistrate/District Collector, with further appeals possible before the Chief Electoral Officer.

Addressing Duplicate EPIC Numbers

The Commission acknowledged that duplicate EPIC numbers arose due to incorrect series allocations by some Electoral Registration Officers since 2000. As electoral roll databases were managed independently by States and UTs, these discrepancies were not detected earlier.

A sample inquiry of over 100 electors confirmed that those with duplicate EPIC numbers are genuine voters. The ECI clarified that regardless of an EPIC number, a voter can cast their ballot only at the polling station where they are registered.

Plan for Resolution

To eliminate duplication, the ECI will implement a unique national EPIC number system for all affected electors and ensure future voters receive unique identifiers. The process is expected to be completed within the next three months.