'Cover blown': Congress's EAGLE team accuses EC of voter list fraud, claims BJP benefiting from duplicate IDs

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday accused the Election Commission (EC) of being complicit in large-scale voter list manipulation, alleging that duplicate voter ID numbers have been used to favor the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The allegations were made by the party’s Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE), which has called the issue a grave threat to India’s democratic fabric.
"The cover is now blown. It is clear that the ruling BJP wins or attempts to win elections by manipulating voter lists in connivance with the Election Commission. Which is why the process of appointment of the Election Commissioners is so critical to the Narendra Modi government that it subverted a Supreme Court ruling to have a balanced committee to appoint Election Commissioners," the Congress said in a post on X.

The Congress had set up an eight-member team EAGLE last month to keep a “bird’s eye view” of elections in the country and “monitor the conduct of free and fair elections by the Election Commission”. The panel includes Congress leaders Ajay Maken, Digvijaya Singh, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Praveen Chakravarty, Pawan Khera, Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Nitin Raut and Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy.

According to the statement by the EAGLE, multiple voters were found registered under the same voter ID number within the same constituency and even across different states. The party called this an unprecedented violation of electoral integrity, comparing it to multiple vehicles being registered under the same license plate number.
During the Maharashtra assembly elections held in 2024, the Congress claimed the EC registered an astonishing 40 lakh new voters within just five months—far exceeding the 32 lakh new voter registrations recorded over the entire previous five-year period (2019-2024).
“These new voters, suspiciously, seem to have voted overwhelmingly for the BJP-led alliance in Maharashtra, significantly impacting the election results in their favor,” the Congress alleged.
The Congress further claimed that when initially confronted with evidence of duplicate voter IDs, the EC dismissed concerns, stating that a voter ID number may be repeated across states but remains unique within a state. However, subsequent findings contradicted this claim, exposing instances of identical voter IDs being used within the same constituency. The party accused the EC of deliberate silence following these revelations.
The Congress alleged that the ruling BJP has manipulated the electoral process in collaboration with the EC to secure victories. The party also criticised the Modi government for overriding a Supreme Court directive aimed at ensuring a balanced appointment process for Election Commissioners.
“This is a grave danger to India’s democracy,” a statement from the Congress read. “Babasaheb Ambedkar envisioned an independent Election Commission to safeguard elections from executive interference. We will not let this issue fade away and will pursue legal, political, and legislative remedies,” it said.