Trinamool Congress MPs Protest Duplicate Voter-ID Issue, Urge EC to Suspend Aadhaar Linking

TMC Submits Memorandum to Election Commission, Demands Transparency Over Duplicate EPICs​

New Delhi, April 4 — In a bold move ahead of the upcoming elections, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday, demanding immediate action on the issue of duplicate Electors' Photo Identity Cards (EPICs). The delegation also voiced strong opposition to the linking of voter-ID cards with Aadhaar, citing serious concerns about electoral transparency and data misuse.

Led by senior party leaders, the TMC MPs met the full bench of the ECI in the morning and formally submitted their demands. The memorandum specifically calls on the poll panel to disclose the total number of duplicate EPICs detected and to halt the Aadhaar-EPIC linking process until all concerns are fully addressed.

Derek O'Brien Slams EPIC Duplication as a “Scandal”​

Following their meeting with the EC, the TMC leaders held a protest march from the Commission’s office to Vijay Chowk, eventually staging a sit-in at the Parliament complex. The MPs held placards featuring images of voter-ID cards marked with the word “duplicate.”

“This EPIC duplication is a big scandal. The EC has to get to the bottom of this scandal,” said Derek O’Brien, TMC's Rajya Sabha parliamentary party leader, during the demonstration.

Disruption in Parliament, Sagarika Ghose Blames Treasury Benches​

TMC deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sagarika Ghose, expressed disappointment over the disruption in the Upper House, alleging that the treasury benches prevented them from raising the issue inside Parliament.

“We went to the Election Commission and submitted a detailed memorandum. We also participated in a peaceful march to highlight our concerns,” Ghose told reporters. “But when we tried to raise the same issue in the Rajya Sabha, the treasury benches disrupted proceedings without any notice.”

She further blamed the Narendra Modi government for the adjournment, stating that two ministers present in the House failed to control the disruption.

TMC Flags Risks of Fake Aadhaar Numbers and Ghost Voters​

The memorandum submitted to the EC questions the integrity of the Aadhaar-linking initiative, warning that it could lead to the addition of fake or ghost voters through fraudulent Aadhaar numbers. The party argued that the linking exercise is “premature” and would complicate rather than solve issues of voter authenticity.

“We again reiterate our request that the ECI should, in the interest of transparency, declare the total number of duplicate EPICs that currently exist,” the document reads.

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The TMC emphasized that linking Aadhaar to EPICs poses significant risks and demanded that the process be suspended until all loopholes are addressed comprehensively.

A Call for Electoral Accountability​

With the general elections approaching, the TMC’s aggressive stance on voter-ID duplication and Aadhaar linking is likely to escalate political debate around electoral reforms and data security. The party reiterated that their demands stem from a broader goal of ensuring transparency and fairness in the democratic process.