Context The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that seeks to link electoral rolls to Aadhaar number has been listed for introduction in the Lok Sabha.
About the Bill
The Bill allows electoral registration officers to ask for Aadhaar numbers of applicants wanting to register as voters to establish the identity of the applicant.
It also seeks to allow the officers to ask for the number from “persons already included in the electoral roll.
People who cannot furnish their Aadhaar numbers will be allowed to present other documents to establish identity.
Various amendments to Representation of People Act, 1950
Section 23 will be amended to allow linking of the roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem.
Amendment to Section 14 will allow four “qualifying” dates for eligible people to register as voters. As of now, January 1 of every year is the sole qualifying date.
Amendment to Section 20 and Section 60 will allow the elections to become gender-neutral for service voters.