NEW DELHI: Controversies over deletion of names from electoral rolls particularly ahead of polls are quite common. However, that is about to change.
Aiming to completely purify the electoral roll, the Election Commission wrote to the Law ministry seeking amendments in certain sections of Acts for verification of the voter lists with the Aadhaar numbers.
Sources said that the Law ministry is likely to give go-ahead on the matter and the proposed amendments might be brought in the upcoming winter session of the Parliament.
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EC believes that the purification of the electoral roll is a long overdue challenge and verification with Aadhaar will help in streamline the process of registration of voters.
EC in its recent letter to the ministry said that “Appropriate amendments may be made in Representation of People Act and Aadhaar Act will for permitting the election machinery to obtain and use the Aadhaar numbers for the purposes of electoral rolls as a back-end exercise,” said the Commission in its letter clarifying that “Aaadhaar numbers will not be put in public domain.
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The Commission proposed adding a new sub-section (4) in Section 23 of the Act, as the electoral registration officer may for the purpose of establishing the identity of any person require that such individual may furnish the Aadhaar number.
“Provided that the electoral registration officer may also seek the Aadhaar number from persons already included in the electoral roll for the purposes of authentication of entries in electoral roll and to identify registration of name of the same person in the electoral roll of more than one constituency or more than once in the same constituency,” said the Commission in its letter.