NEW DELHI, March 10: Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Monday called for a detailed discussion in Parliament on the contentious issue of the voters list, citing alleged discrepancies in the electoral rolls and duplication of Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers.
Speaking during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said that the entire Opposition wanted a discussion on the voters list and appealed to Speaker Om Birla to facilitate the debate. Gandhi’s demand came amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged duplication of EPIC numbers. Recently, Congress and TMC accused the Election Commission of failing to address the issue, threatening to expose the poll panel if it did not come clean.
The controversy intensified following allegations of anomalies in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, with Congress questioning how more voters were added to the list in the past five months compared to the previous five years. Rahul Gandhi raised these concerns in Lok Sabha, stating, “The voter lists are being questioned across the country. Questions have been raised by the opposition in every state, including Maharashtra. It is pertinent that the House holds a debate on the issue.”
In his speech, Gandhi also directed a remark at the Speaker, which led to an immediate rebuttal from Om Birla. “We accept your remarks that the government does not make voter lists. But we demand a discussion on the issue,” Gandhi concluded.
Meanwhile, a delegation of 10 TMC MPs is scheduled to meet Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to lodge complaints regarding the alleged duplicacy in the EPIC numbers. The Election Commission, however, has denied any discrepancies, clarifying that duplication of alphanumeric series does not necessarily imply a fake voter list.
The controversy erupted after reports emerged showing multiple individuals sharing the same EPIC number. These reports, along with photos circulating on social media, strengthened claims that duplicate IDs were, in fact, fake voters.
