In response to the Trinamool Congress raising concerns over the presence of ‘fake voters’, the Election Commission has stepped up its efforts to ensure cleaner electoral rolls.
Amid concerns raised by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the presence of ‘fake voters’, the Election Commission has decided to roll out a new feature in its software aimed at identifying ‘ghost voters’. As per an official, this newly introduced option will assist Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in detecting instances where multiple voter names are linked to a single EPIC number, thereby strengthening the accuracy and integrity of the electoral rolls.
“The chief electoral officers in all states have been informed about this decision,” the official said. Earlier on Monday, a letter was sent to the chief electoral officers of the states informing them about a new module for correcting ‘duplicate EPIC numbers’, he added.
Until now, the state election officers or the district EROs could not see the identity cards or EPIC numbers of voters from their end and thus missed out on those with similar EPIC numbers in other states, the official added.
Acting Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, Dibyendu Das on Monday held a virtual meeting with senior officials in the districts and briefed them about the decision, he said. Corrections in the voter list of West Bengal have been ordered to be completed by March 21, he added.
PM Modi hails Election Commission
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised India’s “neutral and independent” Election Commission and said that its management of the world’s largest democratic exercise should be studied by the global community. Speaking to podcaster Lex Fridman, Modi highlighted the massive scale of India’s electoral process and emphasised its complexity and the high level of political engagement among citizens.
“In India, we have a neutral and independent Election Commission that conducts elections and takes all decisions. This in itself is such a big bright story that major universities around the world should conduct case studies on its management,” PM Modi said.
He said that the global community should analyse how India’s electoral system functions, given the scale and political awareness involved. Fridman noted that elections in India bring out many interesting facets and asked if there was any such story that Modi found particularly impactful.
Referring to the 2024 general election, PM Modi pointed out that there were 980 million registered voters — more than double the population of North America and greater than the combined population of the European Union. “Out of 980 million registered voters, 646 million stepped out of their homes to vote, even in the extreme heat of May when temperatures in some places reached 40 degrees Celsius,” the Prime Minister said in the podcast.
(With PTI inputs)
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