Why some voters in India hold multiple voter cards? EC says...

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said that the issue of individuals holding multiple voter identity cards often arises due to migration or administrative lapses, assuring that the Election Commission is rectifying such errors under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

“Knowingly, unknowingly some people ended up having multiple voter cards due to migration, other issues; SIR to rectify this,” Kumar said at a press conference.

The Commission has recently corrected more than three lakh such instances. “EC corrected over three lakh instances of multiple voters having same voter identity card numbers recently,” he added.

Also Read: Bihar SIR row- EC rejects allegations of bias and 'vote chori', says all parties equal before poll body

Further, Kumar said the ECI was using new systems to improve the accuracy of voter lists but also warned of new risks. “AI and deepfakes are indeed a challenge for us,” he said.

The statement comes at a time when the electoral process is under political scrutiny. Congress leader and LoP Rahul Gandhi has alleged irregularities in voter rolls, including “vote chori,” accusing the Commission of not ensuring a level playing field.

Responding to these allegations earlier, Kumar said the poll body was committed to the Constitution and does not differentiate between ruling and opposition parties.

He had also said, “If making allegations of vote theft is not an insult to India’s Constitution, then what else is it?”

The SIR exercise has been initiated in Bihar, where political parties across the spectrum, as per EC, had long demanded rectification of errors in voter lists. According to the Commission, 1.6 lakh booth-level agents of different parties have participated in preparing draft rolls, which are now open for claims and objections.

Kumar stressed that all stakeholders, voters, political parties, and booth-level officers, were contributing to the process. He reiterated that the Commission’s “doors are open to everyone” and that the final rolls would reflect transparency.