Election Laws Bill aims at Linking Aadhaar-Voter ID

To Avoid the Misuse of Voting

The Election Laws Bill 2021 has been passed in the Lok Sabha, and is being discussed in the Rajya Sabha too. This bill’s main aim is at linking a person's Aadhaar credentials with the electoral process.

The bill has a provision whereby the new applicant may voluntarily provide an Aadhaar number along with the application for the purpose of identity proof. No application will be rejected from now on the grounds that the Aadhaar number has not been provided.

The government argued that this will safeguard the electoral process and will stop illegal voting. However, the opposition cited the leaking of the information and the right to privacy.

Leader of the Congress Party, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury demanded the Bill be sent to the standing committee. Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that the Centre is obstructing the independence of the Election Commission by bringing the legislation.

Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seeks to allow electoral registration officers to seek the Aadhaar number of people who want to register as voters after the implementation of the bill.