Election Commission push for pending poll reforms at law ministry meet

NEW DELHI: With over 70 recommendations for electoral reforms pending with the Centre, the Election Commission of India is set to make a renewed push on these with the law ministry this week.

The amendments needed for linking voter ID with Aadhaar, allowing multiple registration windows to a new voter and ensuring gender neutral rights for ‘service voter’ are at the top of the agenda for the meeting, ET has gathered. These issues will figure in the February 18 meeting scheduled between the full commission, led by the chief election commissioner, and the law secretary.

A major item on the EC to-do list is the Aadhaar-Voter ID linkage to weed out duplications and misrepresentations from the electoral rolls. Aadhaar linkage and voter authentication are also considered critical to the commission’s plans to work towards electronic, internet-based voting and for giving ‘remote’ voting rights to domestic migrant workers.


The move has been pending because of the need to amend Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951.In discussions held until December 2019, the ECI had assured that privacy and data safety-related concerns will be addressed. It is now waiting for the government to move the amendment to the Cabinet for approval.

ET gathers that EC will also urge the government to expedite implementation of simpler amendments of laws that can help increase voter turnout and the voter base.

One of these is a proposed amendment to Section 14(b) of the RPA, 1951, which looks at registration for first-time voters as they turn 18 years of age. Currently, only those who turn 18 by January 1of that year are registered as voters.

EC had recommended, way back in 2013, that to ensure that no 18-year-old is denied voting rights, registration should be permitted any day of the year. The law ministry had then suggested only two dates: January 1and July 1. The poll panel is expected to seek multiple registration dates now.

The third recommendation involves amendments to Section 20(6) of the Act to allow the husband of a female officer to be registered as a service voter where she holds office.

Service voters’ refer to those in government service and defence who may be posted in locations different from the area where they are registered as voters.

As of now, sub-section (8) of Section 20 of RPA only allows the wife of amale ‘service voter’ to cast her vote as a service voter. The current rules also do not permit children of a service voter residing with him to be enrolled as service voters.

EC has been arguing against these clauses pointing out that it amounted to denial of voting rights to many eligible voters. It has recommended to the law ministry that a more gender neutral word ‘spouse’ should be used so that husbands residing with serving wives may also be able to vote. Similarly, the ECI has suggested that the same rights be children of service voters who are residing with them and are eligible to vote.