NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday invited national and state party presidents and senior leaders for interaction to further strengthen electoral processes.
Amid the ongoing tussle with the opposition over the duplicity in some electors’ photo identity cards, the commission welcomed the suggestions by April 30.
“The Election Commission of India has invited suggestions from all national and state political parties by April 30, 2025 for any unresolved issues at the level of ERO, DEO or the CEO, as the case may be. In an individual letter issued to political parties today, the Commission also envisaged an interaction with the Party Presidents and senior members of the party, at a mutually convenient time, to further strengthen electoral processes in accordance with the established law,” the commission said in a statement.
“Political parties are one of the key stakeholders amongst 28 stakeholders identified by the Commission as per the Constitution and statutory framework covering all aspects of electoral processes. The Commission in its letter to political parties also noted that Representation of the People Act 1950 & 1951; Registration of Electors Rules, 1960; Conduct of Election Rules, 1961; orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court and Instructions, Manuals and Handbooks issued by Election Commission of India from time to time (available on ECI website) have established a decentralised, robust and transparent legal framework for holding free and fair elections,” it added.
This comes days after the EC addressed concerns regarding voters in different states having identical Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers.
Responding to social media posts and media reports, the EC clarified that while some electors may share the same EPIC number, their demographic details, assembly constituency, and polling booth remain distinct.
Each voter can only cast their vote at their designated polling station in their respective state or union territory.
The commission explained that the duplication occurred due to a decentralised and manual process used before the electoral roll database was integrated into the ERONET system.
Any duplicate numbers identified will be rectified, and the ERONET 2.0 platform will be updated to streamline the process. EPIC numbers serve as unique identifiers for registered voters in India, printed on voter ID cards and used for electoral rolls.
They are crucial for maintaining transparency and preventing fraud in elections. Voters can use their EPIC number to verify their registration, polling station, and electoral roll status, and it also functions as proof of identity in government and financial transactions.
