Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Dec.21: The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to link electoral registers to Aadhaar cards, was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday despite continuing Opposition protests, and was also passed in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday following a walkout by Opposition MPs.
Electoral registration officers would be able to ask for Aadhaar numbers from applicants who want to register as voters in order to verify their identification. The linking of Aadhar to the Electoral Photo Identity Card is voluntary, said the Law Minister Kiren Rijiju.
It also aims to give officers the authority to request the number from “persons already included in the electoral roll for the purposes of authentication of entries in the electoral roll, and to identify registration of the same person’s name in the electoral roll of more than one constituency or more than once in the same constituency.”
Meanwhile, both Houses of the Parliament began with persistent protests from members of the opposition. After Union Minister Smriti Irani tabled the Prohibition of Child Marriage Amendment Bill, 2021, in the Lower House, the Lok Sabha referred it to the Standing Committee before adjourning for the day.
