Controversies about irregularities in the election process are coming up again. Earlier, the main criticism was about the voting machine. This time, the criticism is about the voter list. Congress and Trinamool Congress are the last to highlight these irregularities. The credibility of a democracy is primarily the credibility of its elections. The country resorts to the Election Commission to ensure this. If any link in the Commission's work is damaged, the entire election results will be in doubt. One of them is the increase in the electoral roll. The 2024 general elections were held in an unprecedented manner in Maharashtra. The Congress pointed out that in just six months, 48 lakh more voters had become part of the state assembly elections. The main reasons are repetition and duplication of numbers in the electoral roll.
Also read: Duplication in EPIC number does not imply duplicate, fake voters: ECI
In this regard, Trinamool Congress MP Derrick O'Brien asked the Commission to admit this mistake within 24 hours in a press conference. He also pointed out another issue. This issue was also highlighted by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee on March 2. A press conference was held at eight o'clock. Then, the commission made a statement within two and a half hours. Chief Election Commissioner said that instead of the decentralised manual method, it will be changed to a centralised-computerised method. The commission says it will make necessary corrections, but does not admit the mistake. The Chief Election Commissioner explained that the same number was used in different states in a decentralised and non-computerized manner. To address the concerns, the Commission has said that a system of issuing a single 'Elector's Photo Identification Card' (EPIC) number to all will be put in place to rectify the situation of double EPIC numbers. The Chief Commissioner also assured that there will be no such repetitions in the new platform. All the above-mentioned incidents make it clear that the mistake made by the Commission is serious. The suggested solution for the issue is linking the voter's list to the Aadhar card and ending fake voting. But, there is also a call to link other identification documents to voting because Aadhar cards can be issued to non-residents as well. However, to ensure that one voter is casting a vote in one place alone, the EPIC number must be unique.
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The crux of the problem is that the same EPIC number was given to many people in the electoral roll. The even more serious issue is that the same voter can get different EPIC numbers in different states and can vote in all those states. If they do this, there is no way to find fake voters who are in other states for work or those who are prepared by political parties for manipulation. An EPIC number consists of three letters and seven digits. Trinamool MP Saket Gokhale points out that considering that the letters are separate for each assembly constituency, it is generally unlikely that voters in two constituencies will get the same number. He also asks how a voter in Haryana or Gujarat can get the number of a Bengal voter. He argues that this proves that there is a flaw in the system.
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Amid all this, the appointment method of the Election Commission gives room for more doubts. According to the new law, the central government can appoint whoever it wants in the Commission. That's how Gyanesh Kumar was appointed last month. Under these provisions, the names of the members are nominated by a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, a member of the Cabinet nominated by him, and the Leader of the Opposition. It is clear that the will of the government will be carried out. The day-to-day operations of the election process are in the hands of the staff under the Commission. Elections vary so each constituency is important. So, there is no need for total electoral corruption and irregularities for Election to lose credibility. If voter lists and identity card determinations are falsified at critical points, it can affect the overall result. The Commission may be taking steps to correct the mistakes made. But people should be convinced that it is an error made without realising. The Commission should also remember that trust has been destroyed by this one error. The onus is on the Commission to prove that its work is honest and fair at a time when its structure itself is biased towards the ruling government and has several loopholes. Without it, the very existence of the voters' fundamental right, or democracy itself, is at risk.
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