PTI
KOLKATA, MARCH 21
India is set to become the first country in the world to have biometric data and no duplicacy in the voters' list after linking of Aadhar card with voter identity card, Chief Election Commissioner H S Brahma said today. "When we are able to seed the Aadhar figure (number) on EPIC card that will ensure that there is not a single duplicate number. We will do it definitely by 2015 and then India will be the only country in the world where there will be complete biometric of voters. There will be not a single fraud or duplicate voters," Brahma said at a conference on electoral reforms here.
Asked about Supreme Court's order which had said that Aadhar is not a prerequisite for availing public services, he said everyday lakhs of voters are seeding their names with Aadhar card on their own.
"Everyday our voters are themselves seeding (their names for Aadhar cards). More than lakhs daily. We do not want to make it compulsory but our voters themselves want it. It is a good gesture," the CEC said.
He appealed to all citizens of the country to avoid duplicate names in the voter list saying it is a crime punishable for upto one year.
Brahma said once the Aadhar number is mentioned in the electoral rolls then individual voters can also change their address online because Aadhar will be the basic identity.
It will remove all allegations of duplicacy in the voters list and harassment to voters in changing their address, he said adding that so far 85 crore Indians have got their Aadhar numbers.
"We are very hopeful that the remaining 25-30 crore people's Aadhar cards would be done by August this year," he said adding that in West Bengal the Aadhar figure is around 55 per cent so far.
On electoral reforms, he said political reforms should also be talked about in the same spirit.
Parties not fighting polls may lose registration
The Election Commission is seriously mulling revoking registration of political parties that fail to contest elections within a specific period of time, Chief Election Commissioner H.S. Brahma said here on Saturday.
At an event on electoral reforms, Brahma said India was all set to become the first country to have biometric data with no duplicate voters.
“There are about 1,600 political parties in the country but only about 200 participate in elections. The EC is thinking very seriously that within a period of five or 10 years, if they (registered political parties) do not contest any elections, their registration should be deleted suo motu,” said Brahma.
He said many of the parties got themselves registered to avail financial benefits like exemption under the income tax. Claiming that there were many parties that have never participated in even a municipal or panchayat polls, Brahma called for public awareness and putting pressure on elected representatives for curbing such “bogus registrations”.
