Electoral reforms bill that links Aadhaar to Voter ID cleared by Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha on Monday cleared the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to link electoral roll data with Aadhaar cards. The bill was introduced in the House by Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju amid strong opposition from Congress leaders.

The electoral reforms bill was passed by a voice vote after a brief discussion during which some opposition members demanded that it be referred to a parliamentary panel. However, Rijiju said various proposals which are part of the bill have already been suggested and recommended by the Standing Committee of Law and Personnel.

He also said the legislation will end bogus voting in the country and make the electoral process more credible.

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However, calling linking voter ID with Aadhaar illogical, Jagdeep Chhokar, Founding Member & Trustee Association for Democratic Reforms said that Aadhaar is not reliable.

“Aadhaar is not a reliable entity. The number of cases where duplicate Aadhaar’s have been had and the number of cases where Aadhaar does not work because fingerprints don’t match, how will those people vote? So this makes voting extremely difficult for people who are not well to do. Aadhaar was meant to be a proof of residence, whereas voting is a right of citizens. So linking voter ID with Aadhaar is illogical,” Chhokar told CNBC-TV18.

Last week, the Union Cabinet had cleared a bill on electoral reforms, allowing the linking of Aadhaar to voter ID cards.