Parliament resumes; Trinamool seeks voter ID debate

Parliament resumed on March 17, 2025, after a four-day break. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien called for a debate on duplicate voter ID cards, emphasizing its importance for democracy. He questioned if the government was prepared for this discussion. Opposition parties have been pressing for a debate on the issue of duplicate voter ID numbers, which was highlighted by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. They are open to different parliamentary rules for the discussion. The Election Commission of India plans to address the issue of duplicate voter IDs within three months. They acknowledged that identical numbers were assigned due to a decentralized system and are now working to resolve the problem.