New Delhi, 16/10: Keeping in mind the important reforms in the electoral process, the Central Government has taken a step further towards the proposal of the Election Commission of India to link the voter ID with the Aadhaar number. This also includes registration of youths who have completed 18 years this year to increase the number of voters. After this reform is agreed, the bill is to be introduced in the 2021 winter session. In the coming year, elections are to be held in five states Goa, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur. In such a situation, this decision can prove to be important.
The most important of the four proposed reforms is to allow the Election Commission to link the Aadhaar number with the voter list. However, this scheme will be extended on a voluntary basis. The report says that the second major proposal out of the four proposals pertains to enrolling new voters in the electoral rolls four times every year. At present, people who turn 18 on January 1, get a chance to add their names to the voter list once a year. The Election Commission has demanded several cut-off dates for voter registration, because the commission believes that being January 1, many voters are deprived of being included in the list.
Reports suggest that the Center recently proposed before a parliamentary committee to amend section 14 (b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, according to which four dates, January 1, April 1, are included in the electoral rolls. It has been said to have 1 July, and 1 October. Apart from this, some textual changes have also been made in the sections related to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, so that the husband of such women who are serving in the armed forces can also be considered eligible to register as service voter. Under the final proposal, the Election Commission will get the right to conduct elections in any premises.
Why there was a need to link Voter ID with Aadhaar Number
In March last year, the Union Law Minister told Parliament that the Election Commission had proposed to use the Aadhaar database to ensure error-free election preparation and prevent duplication of entries. After this, the ministry felt the need for changes in the Representation of People Act of 1951, as well as the need for changes in the Aadhaar Act, 2016. Reports suggest that the then Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said in a reply in Parliament that linking voter ID with Aadhaar would help prevent enrollment of the same person at different places.