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After the Election Commission's meeting to discuss linking of Voter ID (EPIC) with Aadhaar on Tuesday, the Congress said that the step is a "clear acknowledgement" of the charge that Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi has been making about the "suspicious and dubious nature" of voter lists.
"It is a clear acknowledgement of the charge that the Congress party and the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have been making about the suspicious and dubious nature of our voter lists, as witnessed in the recent Maharashtra 2024 Vidhan Sabha elections. We continue to demand that the Election Commission make public the entire electoral photo rolls of Maharashtra 2024 Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections," the party said in its letter. The party asserted that its main charge was an abnormal increase in new voter registrations within just five months between the Maharashtra Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, suggesting that these could be fake, duplicate, or ghost voters. "Fake or duplicate voters is a problem of one person having multiple voter IDs. The Election Commission has acknowledged this problem of 'one person many voter-IDs' raised by the Congress party, which can be eliminated through de-duplication using Aadhaar," it said. "The Congress party supports constructive solutions that ensure clean voter lists, in line with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's assertion made in 1949 that 'electoral rolls are most fundamental in a democracy and the independence of the elections process is a fundamental right,' the party said. It also emphasized that no adult Indian citizen should be denied the right to vote due to Aadhaar linkage. "The Congress party urges the Election Commission to consult with all political parties and stakeholders and assure them that there are sufficient guardrails to not deny the right to vote to even a single eligible citizen as well as ensuring the privacy of any single voter is not breached through this process," it said. Meanwhile, 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 on Tuesday. 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. (ANI)
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