Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata

Kolkata, Mar 6: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has called upon the Election Commission of India (ECI) to implement a Unique Identification Number for Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC), similar to Aadhaar and passports, to prevent electoral fraud.

A five-member TMC delegation, led by West Bengal party president Subrata Bakshi, met with the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Thursday to submit a formal representation on the matter. The delegation included Municipal Affairs & Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, Power Minister Arup Biswas, Minister of State for Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya, and Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Hakim accused the BJP of attempting to manipulate the electoral process and demanded that no two voters from different states should have the same EPIC number. He insisted that, like Aadhaar and passports, each voter card must have a unique identification to ensure electoral integrity.

Additionally, the delegation urged the ECI to conduct physical verification of voters registered online, emphasizing the need to prevent non-residents from voting in West Bengal during the 2026 Assembly elections.

Earlier this week, the TMC’s internal core committee—set up last month to scrutinize the state’s voter list for bogus entries—held its first meeting. The party has decided to launch a door-to-door survey starting this weekend to identify fake voters in West Bengal.

The TMC alleged that the BJP’s recent victories in Delhi and Maharashtra Assembly elections were achieved through voter list manipulations and claimed that similar tactics were being planned for West Bengal. The party has vowed to prevent any electoral malpractice in the state.