NEW DELHI: On the first day of the second lag of Budget session 2025, Parliament saw heated discussions over alleged discrepancies in the voter list.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, demanded a debate on the issue. His Rajya Sabha counterpart, Mallikarjun Kharge, led a walkout after the demand was rejected.
Rahul Gandhi raised concerns over voter lists during the Zero Hour. He said the entire opposition had been demanding a discussion. “The voter lists are being questioned across the country. Questions have been raised in Maharashtra and other states,” he said.
Senior Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy pointed out flaws in the voter list. He alleged that identical Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers were found in Murshidabad and Burdwan in West Bengal and in Haryana.ย
“There are serious flaws. The Election Commission must explain why these mistakes happened,” he said.
Trinamool Chief Whip Kalyan Banerjee called the issue a “serious concern.” He said elections were not being held in a transparent manner.
Leader of the House, JP Nadda, said the government was ready for a debate. However, he insisted that discussions must follow parliamentary rules.
“The government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ready to discuss anything. But there are rules and procedures,” Nadda said.
Twelve notices were submitted for discussions on different issues. Congress’ Pramod Tiwari and Ajay Maken, along with Trinamool’s Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghose, raised concerns over the EPIC issue.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh also accused the Election Commission and the government of manipulating voter rolls. “Fake voters are being added. They did it in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Delhi. Now they are doing it in Bengal,” he said.
On March 6, a TMC delegation met Election Commission officials in Kolkata. They demanded physical verification of voter lists.
West Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim said outsiders should not be granted voting rights. “Every voter should have a unique ID number,” he said.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also raised concerns. “Reports of voter list fraud are a serious threat to democracy. The opposition wants a detailed discussion,” she posted on X.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of manipulating voter lists. “Fake voters have been added to win elections in Delhi and Maharashtra,” she alleged.
The Election Commission issued a clarification on March 2. It said identical EPIC numbers do not indicate fake voters. “The issue arose due to a manual system used before shifting to ERONET,” the EC said.
Despite the ECโs clarification, opposition leaders continue to demand a thorough review of voter lists.
