NEW DELHI: Raising the issue of duplicate EPIC card numbers during ‘zero hour’ in the Rajya Sabha, RJD MP Manoj Jha on Wednesday impressed upon the need for Election Commission to promptly determine the extent of such duplication, investigate its root cause and initiate urgent corrective measures.
Jha’s submission came shortly after the Trinamool Congress, following rejection of its adjournment notice on the issue under Rule 267, suggested that the Rajya Sabha discuss it instead under Rule 176. Rule 176 allows a member to raise an issue of urgent importance for discussion, followed by a reply by the minister concerned. Deputy chairman Harivansh however said the proposal for a discussion on duplicate EPIC cards through other instruments of debate was accepted but not availed of by the party.
Pointing to the vexing issue of duplicate voter IDs affecting the political parties and the public alike, RJD’s Manoj Jha recalled how when Article 324 was being drafted, many suggestions and doubts were raised in meetings of the constituent assembly. “The outcome were two key provisions relating to ‘free and fair elections‘ and ‘a level-playing field’,” he said.
“There is reasoning and vision behind the concept of ‘free and fair elections’,” Jha noted while alleging that duplicate I-cards were issued in border states and elsewhere, “in numbers running into lakhs”. This has compromised the fairness of elections.
“If the electoral process and procedures are compromised, it will reek of fraud. Parliament should urge EC to promptly gauge the extent of the duplication, find the origins of this fraud and take urgent corrective measures,” suggested the RJD MP.
Jha also suggested that the EC put out a list of deletions, new additions and modifications made to voters’ list. Earlier, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari had raised the issue of 48 lakh voters having been allegedly added to Maharashtra rolls between the Lok Sabha and assembly elections held last year.