New Delhi: The Election Commission has proposed the law ministry that provisions of the Representation of the People Act be amended to allow the EC to check Aadhar numbers of new applicants for voter ids along with those who already have voter ids.
The EC has requested the government to give it a statutory backing to collect Aadhaar numbers of new applicants and existing voters in order to check multiple entries in electoral rolls, NDTV reports.
According to the EC’s proposal sent to Law Ministry, certain electoral laws should be amended to empower electoral registration officer to seek Aadhaar numbers of the existing voters as well as of those applying to the voters list.
Earlier in the year 2015, the Apex Court put brakes from linking Aadhaar card with voter ids.
Back then the poll panel was collecting Aadhaar numbers as part of its National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP).
Seeking to check multiple entries in electoral rolls and to make them error-free, the Election Commission had embarked on an ambitious project to link Aadhaar numbers with voters” electoral data.
“Since the Supreme Court order makes it clear that sanction of law is required to collect Aadhaar number, the commission has proposed changes in the electoral law,” a functionary explained.