TMC, Congress, BJD press EC on 'voter card fraud' amid Parliament protests

NEW DELHI: Opposition parties took various routes to protest essentially against three main issues in Parliament on Tuesday, without resorting to stalling the house proceedings for the second half of the Budget session that opened on Monday.
On the “voter card fraud” that Trinamool Congress flagged first with a list of duplicate EPIC numbers, the party was supported by Congress, BJD and other parties which staged a walkout in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday morning. Later in the day TMC delegation of 10 MPs marched to the Election Commission to meet the ECIs. BJD also met with a full bench of the ECI to flag the same issue.
DMK MPs staged a protest on the Parliament complex against the three-language formula under the new National Education Policy (NEP) and demanded that Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan apologise for his remarks against the Tamil Nadu government. Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu also wore black in solidarity joining the protest in the House. DMK MPs raised slogans outside the House and showed posters saying "Tamil Nadu educates, BJP manipulates". MDMK MP Vaiko (80) alleged the three-language policy is aimed at destroying states.
Trinamool Congress leaders met the Election Commission on Tuesday over the issue of duplicate voter ID numbers and alleged that Aadhaar cards were being cloned which may lead to the possibility of these being used for fake voter registration. The party demanded that the EC issue a separate list of voter deletions, new additions and modifications with every new revised electoral roll.

Speaking to the media after the 10-member TMC delegation met the full bench of the EC, party MP Sagarika Ghose expressed scepticism over the poll panel's recent statement assuring that the concerns would be addressed in three months. "This is an extremely serious issue. Ever since West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee flagged the issue, all parties have realised it's a serious issue that poses a threat to electoral democracy," she said, adding "The EC says it will resolve the issue in three months... We are asking if you don't even know the number, how are you giving the deadline?"
Ghose said there is "credible evidence" that Aadhaar cards are also being cloned and expressed concern that they may be used for getting "fake voter ID cards" issued. "Why has the EC not stated that seeding Aadhaar with voter ID card is voluntary and not compulsory," she said.
TMC MPs Derek O'Brien, Kalyan Banerjee, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Kirti Azad, Sajda Ahmed, Asit Kumar Mal, Abu Taher Khan, Prakash Chik Baraik and Saket Gokhale were part of the delegation.
On the delimitation issue, Rajya Sabha proceedings were disrupted for about 40 minutes on Tuesday as opposition MPs stormed the well of the House, protesting the impact of constituency redrawing based solely on population, which they argued would disadvantage southern states.
Opposition members submitted notices under Rule 267, seeking to suspend scheduled business for a discussion on the issue. However, the chair rejected these notices for not adhering to rules. DMK's R Girirajan managed to bring up the matter during Zero Hour. Following his remarks, MPs began shouting slogans and moved into the well. Girirajan said states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab, which implemented family planning, would lose parliamentary representation. In contrast, states with higher fertility rates, such as UP, Bihar, and Rajasthan, would gain seats. He warned that once the delimitation freeze ends in 2026, it could lead to "political disenfranchisement in the south" and pose a "grave threat" to India's federal structure. Deputy chairman Harivansh had to adjourn the House until noon.
A BJD delegation also met the EC on Tuesday and suggested an independent audit of the poll process and monitoring by citizens in the wake of allegations of irregularities levelled by the opposition parties. The Odisha party which had last year complained about alleged "unusual variances" in the votes cast in the 2024 parliament and assembly elections in the state, submitted a second memorandum on the issue to the poll panel. Party leader Amar Patnaik told reporters that “a cursory glance at the EC’s response suggested a mechanical reply to a very grave concern raised by us." With the issue of duplicate voter ID cards being raised in Parliament by Congress and TMC, BJD leaders said "The party is in agreement on this issue.