Election ID-Aadhaar Linkage: CEC to Meet Home, Legislative Officials on March 18
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Synopsis
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is set to meet with the Union Home Secretary and Legislative Secretary on March 18 to discuss the linking of voter ID cards with Aadhaar numbers, in response to concerns regarding bogus voters raised by opposition leaders.
Key Takeaways
- Meeting on Aadhaar linkage to address bogus voters
- Concerns raised by opposition leaders
- No legal requirement for Aadhaar integration yet
- Deadline for political party feedback set for April 30
- Regular engagements with political parties mandated
New Delhi, March 15 (NationPress) In a bid to tackle concerns regarding suspected bogus voters, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has convened a meeting on March 18 (Tuesday) with the Union Home Secretary and the Legislative Secretary to deliberate on the linking of voter identity cards with Aadhaar numbers.
According to sources, this meeting arises amidst claims by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding the presence of fraudulent and duplicate entries in voters’ lists.
Currently, there is no legal obligation for voter rolls to be integrated with the Aadhaar database. Voters are encouraged to voluntarily submit their Aadhaar numbers to election officials to verify their identity.
The upcoming meeting has been arranged in light of the Election Commission of India’s previous invitation for feedback from all national and state political parties aimed at fortifying electoral processes.
The poll body has set April 30 as the deadline for political parties to present their inputs concerning any outstanding issues at the level of Electoral Registration Officers (ERO), District Election Officers (DEO), or Chief Electoral Officers (CEO), as relevant.
In a formal statement, the ECI indicated that it has dispatched individual letters to political parties requesting their insights and has also suggested direct discussions with party leaders at a mutually acceptable time. This initiative is designed to improve electoral practices while ensuring adherence to the established legal framework.
This development follows a recent ECI conference, where Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar instructed officials, including CEOs, DEOs, and EROs across all States and Union Territories, to maintain regular interactions with political parties.
He also directed that suggestions received in these meetings should be addressed strictly within the current legal provisions and that an action taken report should be submitted by March 31.
Political parties represent one of the 28 key stakeholders identified by the Commission under the Constitution and statutory framework that govern various facets of the electoral process.
