New Delhi [India], March 18 : Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday urged the Election Commission of India to ensure that no Indian should be deprived of their vote while linking Aadhaar with voter IDs. He also wants the ECI to address the privacy concerns in the process.
The Congress leader also reiterated his demand that the ECI should address the issue of additions and deletions, starting by publicly sharing the entire electoral photo rolls of the Maharashtra 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
"Today the Election Commission of India has announced it will link Aadhaar with voter IDs. The Congress and INDIA parties have been repeatedly raising issues of voter lists, including abnormally high additions, unexpected deletions and duplicate voter ID numbers," Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
"While Aadhar may address duplicate voter ID numbers, the poorest and most marginalised are more likely to face difficulties in the linking process. The ECI must ensure that no Indian should be deprived of their vote, and address privacy concerns. Now that the ECI has acknowledged the problem, I reiterate my earlier demand that it should also address the issue of additions and deletions, starting by publicly sharing the entire electoral photo rolls of the Maharashtra 2024 Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections," he added.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, held a crucial meeting with key officials and technical experts to discuss the linking of Voter ID (EPIC) with Aadhaar.
Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi along with the Union Home Secretary, Secretary Legislative Department, Secretary MeitY and CEO, UIDAI and technical experts of the ECI also participated in the meeting.
The commission clarified that the process will strictly adhere to Article 326 of the Constitution and relevant provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. In line with a Supreme Court ruling, the ECI emphasized that Aadhaar serves only as proof of identity, not citizenship. Technical consultations between UIDAI and ECI experts will commence soon on the matter.
"While, as per Article 326 of the constitution of India, voting rights can only be given to a citizen of India; an Aadhaar card only establishes the identity of a person," the Commission said.
"Therefore, it was decided that the linking of EPIC with Aadhaar will be done only as per the provisions of Article 326 of the constitution, Section 23(4), 23(5) and 23(6) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and in line with the Supreme Court judgement in WP(civil) No. 177/2023. Accordingly, technical consultations between UIDAI and the technical experts of ECI are to begin soon," it added.