EC's clarification on duplicate voter ID numbers a cover-up: TMC
New Delhi (PTI): The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday dismissed the Election Commission's clarifications on duplicate voter ID numbers as a "cover-up" and cited the poll panel's own guidelines to assert that two cards cannot have identical numbers.
The TMC on Monday called the duplication in EPIC (Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card) numbers an "epic scam" and gave the poll panel a 24-hour deadline to "accept its mistake".
Party's Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale on Tuesday shared on X excerpts from the 'Handbook For Electoral Registration Officers' to counter the poll panel's clarifications on the issue, which was first raised by TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
"Yesterday, the All India Trinamool Congress had given Election Commission of India 24 hours to admit and accept their blunder on the duplicate voter ID fraud issue. Clearly, the ECI, which has been exposed, wants to brazen it out," Gokhale said.
"The 'clarification' given by ECI (on Sunday) in response to CM Mamata Banerjee is actually a cover-up. They have admitted there's something wrong but are refusing to accept it. The false 'clarification' given by the ECI contradicts its own rules and guidelines," he said.
He said the process of issuing the photo ID cards is laid down in the ECI's 'Handbook For Electoral Registration Officers'.
While the EC said photo ID cards with the same numbers were issued to multiple voters due to certain states using the same "alphanumeric series", Gokhale shared excerpts from the handbook and said it was impossible to do so as the Functional Unique Serial Numbers (FUSN) are different for every Assembly constituency.
"EPIC card numbers are an alphanumeric sequence of three letters and seven digits. The ECI handbook clearly states that the three letters, known as a Functional Unique Serial Number (FUSN), are different for every Assembly constituency," he said.
"Therefore, it is impossible for voters in two different assembly constituencies (even in the same state) to have the same first 3 letters on their EPIC. How is it then that the same EPIC numbers as voters in West Bengal have been allotted to random people in Haryana, Gujarat, and other states?" he said.
Countering the EC's clarification that even with two people having the same EPIC number, they can only vote in their respective constituency where they are enrolled, he said the voter is linked to his photo by the EPIC number.
"In photo electoral rolls, the elector is linked to his photo by the EPIC number. Therefore, when a voter in Bengal goes to cast their vote, their photo on the electoral roll will be different if the same EPIC number has been allotted to a person in another state.
"This will lead to the refusal of voting due to a photo mismatch. By allotting the same EPIC numbers in different states, voting can be denied to those who are likely to vote for non-BJP parties due to photo mismatch," he said.
He stressed that the EC rules mandate that the software used for issuing the photo ID cards keeps track of every used and unused number to ensure that the same EPIC number is not allotted to multiple people. Also, EPIC number links the details of voters with their photo and it is considered to be a "permanent unique ID", he said.
"Therefore, it is impossible that any 'error' can lead to the same EPIC numbers being allotted to multiple people in different states. Also, since the EPIC number is linked to voter details, a duplicate EPIC number will lead to denial of voting," he said.
"This clearly reeks of a conspiracy to conduct voter suppression in favour of the BJP, where voters in non-BJP areas are being targeted by issuing their EPIC numbers to people in other states," he said.
Gokhale said the matter raises serious questions about the actions of the ECI, especially considering that the Election Commissioners are now appointed by the Narendra Modi government by a majority on a three-member panel where two members are the prime minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"If the ECI is compromised on behalf of the BJP, there is zero possibility of elections being free and fair. The ECI must also come clean and disclose how many EPIC cards are currently active and how many of those bear the same number," he said.
"An impartial investigation must be conducted on this duplicate Voter ID scam," he added.
Slamming the poll panel, TMC Lok Sabha MP Kirti Azad called it a "caged bird".
"The ECI is the biggest fraud, just like the ED and the CBI. The Supreme Court once called CBI a 'caged parrot', the ECI is also a caged bird," he said.
"You can see it is specified that an EPIC number of an individual cannot be given to anyone else, but they are doing as they like," he said, accusing the poll panel of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"The BJP can do anything to win an election if they feel that they are going to lose," said the cricketer-turned-politician. "This cannot happen without EC officials being involved".
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.
According to a source, the issue will also be raised in the upcoming Parliament session, and the TMC is also in touch with some of the other INDIA bloc parties that have raised concerns over voters' lists in their states.
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Mhadei row: Goa CM asks Karnataka govt to follow cooperative federalism
Panaji (PTI): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has invoked the "cooperative federalism" principle while targeting the Karnataka government amid the Mhadei river water sharing dispute between the two states.
"They (Karnataka) speak about stopping the supply of vegetables or tourism inflow (to Goa). We never use such language. India can go forward with cooperative federalism. We are Indians first and Goans later," the chief minister told the legislative assembly on Friday after opposition leader Yuri Alemao claimed that Karnataka had threatened to stop vegetable supplies to Goa.
Goa and Karnataka are embroiled in a dispute over sharing the Mhadei river water. The BJP-ruled Goa has accused the Congress-governed Karnataka of planning to divert the river water by constructing two dams.
Sawant had said that the Goa government would file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Karnataka for carrying out activities that are aimed at diverting the Mhadei river water.
After the House passed the demands for grants for agriculture, Sawant said Goa has reduced the horticulture import by 30-40 per cent, whereas horticulture commodities' export has gone up by 20 per cent.
He stated that the state-run Horticulture Corporation has been procuring vegetables and fruits from farmers in various states and selling them through stalls.
The chief minister mentioned about a young farmer, Varad Samant, who has been providing vegetables of Rs 50 lakh every year to the state horticulture department.
"I have met this young farmer who is in his 30s. He told me that he earns a net 60 per cent profit from the vegetable supply business," Sawant said.
He said the government has focused on the agriculture sector. Citing the Swayampurna Goa Scheme, he said millet production is being boosted.
Referring to the demands of the Opposition, the chief minister said, rather than increasing support price for various products, the government is contemplating the possibility of providing a hundred per cent subsidy to farmers involved in community farming.
"65,500 farmers are registered with the department. They are eligible for facilities like Krishi card and Kissan credit card. They can now walk into the bank and avail of loan up to Rs 1 lakh. If any bank refuses to lend, tell me. Because the guarantee of your loan is PM Modi's guarantee," he added.
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