• Source:JND
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With the electoral roll revision in Bihar, the Election Commission of India appears to be in the mood to revolutionise the voting system and identity verification during polls. Working in the same line, the ECI is set to issue an Indian series of EPIC numbers. The process is planned to begin from Bihar and move forward across the country in a phased manner. 

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The Election Commission has a plan to provide a new EPIC (voter ID card) to voters in other states in phases before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The goal behind this initiative is to have a unique national-level voter ID card, similar to Aadhaar, PAN, or vehicle registration. A single EPIC number will be valid across the country.

The Election Commission aims to distribute the new EPIC cards, part of the Bharat Series, to all voters in Bihar between the last week of September and the first week of October. This will resolve the issue of duplicate EPIC numbers. When a voter changes their location, only their address will be updated, while their EPIC number remains the same. This will introduce a new system of assigning a unique EPIC number to each voter.

New Voter ID To Be Delivered To Elector Within 15 Days

In a bid to expedite EPIC delivery, a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been introduced. Under this SOP, newly enrolled voters or those updating their information can expect to receive their EPIC cards within 15 days, underscoring the commission's commitment to efficient electoral management

What Is EPIC And What Was The Issue Earlier

EPIC of Electors' Photo Identity Card is a voter ID card number issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The 10-digit number, which is a unique combination of letters and numbers, results in alphanumeric codes. 

The number is claimed to be unique and prevent elector impersonation. However, in a report by The Hindu published in March this year, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) has released documents showing that some voters in West Bengal have the same EPIC numbers as some voters in states like Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab.

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In response to the claim, the ECI said the duplication was manual. With a rise in complaints of fake and duplication of EPIC ID, the ECI has decided to issue a centralised EPIC number. With the new system, an individual can have only one EPIC number, and only the address will get updated with a change in constituency.