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Election Commission of India to Resolve Long-Standing Issue of Duplicate EPIC Numbers in Three Months

Minakshi Bindhani

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India’s Electoral Rolls constitute the largest database of electors worldwide, comprising over 99 crore registered voters. The Election Commission ensures continuous updation of these rolls through the Annual Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise.

Election Commission of India to Resolve Long-Standing Issue of Duplicate EPIC Numbers in Three Months

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a major initiative to address the decades-old issue of duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers. This move aims to enhance the integrity and accuracy of the electoral rolls across the country.

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The Commission has assured that the resolution will be implemented within the next three months through a structured process involving District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and active participation from political parties and the public.

India’s Electoral Rolls constitute the largest database of electors worldwide, comprising over 99 crore registered voters. The Election Commission ensures continuous updation of these rolls through the Annual Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise. This revision is conducted every year between October and December, with final electoral rolls published in January.

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For the recently concluded SSR 2025, the Commission had issued a schedule on August 7, 2024, and the final rolls were published between January 6-10, 2025. The process ensures transparency and public participation, involving multiple steps:

  1. Booth-Level Oversight: At every polling booth, a Booth Level Officer (BLO) is appointed by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) from among state government officials.
  2. Political Party Involvement: Political parties have the right to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to oversee and verify the electoral roll of the concerned booth.
  3. Voter Verification: BLAs can inspect and verify the electoral rolls at their designated polling booths and raise objections regarding any anomalies.
  4. Field Verification: BLOs conduct house-to-house verification and submit recommendations to the ERO.
  5. ERO Validation: The EROs cross-check and verify voter details before updating the electoral rolls.
  6. Publication of Draft Electoral Rolls: The draft electoral rolls are published online and made available to the public and political parties.
  7. Claims and Objections Process: A one-month period is allotted for resolving any objections before final electoral rolls are published. The final rolls are also uploaded on the ECI website (https://voters.eci.gov.in/download-eroll).
  8. Appeal Mechanism: If an elector has objections regarding electoral roll entries, they can file an appeal with the District Magistrate, District Collector, or Executive Magistrate under Section 24(a) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
  9. Further Appeals: If dissatisfied with the first appellate authority, a second appeal can be made to the Chief Electoral Officer of the respective State/Union Territory under Section 24(b) of the RP Act, 1950.

The ECI has taken cognizance of the long-standing issue of duplicate EPIC numbers, which emerged due to inconsistencies in the allotment process since the introduction of the EPIC series in the year 2000. Some Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) mistakenly assigned incorrect series to electors across different States and Union Territories (UTs), leading to duplicate numbers.

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Despite this, the ECI clarified that an elector’s voting rights remain unaffected, as each voter is linked to a specific polling station. A sample survey of over 100 electors confirmed that voters with duplicate EPIC numbers were genuine electors.

After thorough discussions with technical teams and Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of various States and UTs, the ECI has decided to implement a unique national EPIC number to resolve this issue comprehensively. The corrective measure will ensure:

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