Trinamool Slams EC Over ‘Fraud of EPIC Proportions’ in Voter ID Ahead Of West Bengal Election 2026
Kolkata, March 02, 2025 – The Trinamool Congress (TMC) unleashed a fierce attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday, branding it the “BJP’s poll-rigging department” amid a heated dispute over voter ID manipulation. The Mamata Banerjee-led party claims the ECI has enabled widespread election fraud by allowing duplicate Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers across states, a tactic they allege helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win in Maharashtra and Delhi.
The TMC’s outburst follows the ECI’s clarification rejecting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s accusations of electoral roll tampering. Banerjee had warned that the BJP, with ECI support, was adding fake voters from states like Haryana and Gujarat to West Bengal’s rolls ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. “BJP tampered with voter lists with the Election Commission’s blessings,” she said last week, pointing to similar strategies in recent polls.
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In a fiery tweet, TMC stated, “Election fraud of EPIC proportions! Mamata Banerjee warned how BJP was hijacking democracy, and now ECI’s admission proves her right. Duplicate EPIC numbers – a ‘manual error’ or a scam to rig elections?” The party insists this isn’t a glitch but a deliberate plot exposed in Bengal after succeeding elsewhere. “Democracy isn’t a Modi-made product to be tweaked and sold off. We won’t let you steal elections,” they added.
The ECI, however, dismissed these claims on Saturday. “Duplicate EPIC numbers don’t mean fake voters,” it said in a statement, explaining that voting is tied to specific polling stations, not just EPIC numbers. “A voter can only cast their ballot where they’re enrolled, regardless of their ID number,” the commission clarified, attributing duplicates to an old manual system now being updated.
The controversy has escalated political tensions in West Bengal, where TMC and BJP are fierce rivals. TMC alleges the BJP fears a fair fight in 2026 and is resorting to voter fraud, while the ECI defends its neutrality. As of March 02, 2025, this clash has sparked a broader debate about electoral integrity in India, with citizens and analysts watching closely for what’s next in this unfolding saga.
