Bill to link Aadhaar with voter ID introduced in Lok Sabha

The Centre introduced the bill which seeks to link electoral rolls with the Aadhaar ecosystem, in Lok Sabha on Monday (December 20). The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, through this linking aims to weed out duplication.

Introducing the Bill, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the legislation would end bogus voting in the country and make the electoral process more credible.

However, opposition parties led by Congress opposed the Bill, saying that it would infringe upon the fundamental rights of citizens. They also alleged that the Bill would violate the Supreme Court judgement on Aadhaar.

The Bill seeks to allow electoral registration officers to seek the Aadhaar number of people who want to register as voters “for the purpose of establishing the identity”.

Also read: Govt approves linking Aadhaar to Voter ID cards, here’s how to do it

The bill however allows voters to furnish other documents when their Aadhaar card is not available and makes it clear that citizen cannot be denied his rights for inclusion of name in electoral rolls or voting in case the Aadhaar card is not available

Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the chair, accepted the introduction of the Bill after taking voice votes.

The bill also seeks to amend rules to allow registration of new voters on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 of a calendar year once they turn 18. As of now, voters who turn 18 before January 1 only are eligible to register as voters.

(With inputs from Agencies)