No such category as 'suspicious voters' under Representation of the People Act, says Law Minister in RS

New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has reiterated that there is no legal category of "suspicious voters" under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The clarification came through a written reply by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The response was in reference to a query by Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman, who had asked whether “suspicious voters” had cast votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Law Minister responded that the ECI had made it clear there is no such classification in law.

The Election Commission, in an earlier statement on June 24, cited factors like rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, youth attaining voting age, non-reporting of deaths, and the possible inclusion of foreign illegal immigrants as reasons prompting a special revision of the voter list.

The purpose, it said, was to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the electoral roll.

Suman also asked whether Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) could be tampered with.

Meghwal replied that the Election Commission has affirmed that election results cannot be manipulated through EVMs.

Moreover, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha raised a question on the linking of Aadhaar with Voter ID cards.

In response, the Law Ministry clarified that as per the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, Electoral Registration Officers are empowered to request Aadhaar numbers from voters on a voluntary basis for identity verification.

The ECI had launched the Aadhaar collection drive via instructions issued on July 4, 2022, with the programme beginning August 1, 2022, across all states and union territories. However, the Ministry clarified that the actual linking of Aadhaar with Electoral Photo Identity Cards has not yet started.

These clarifications aim to reaffirm public trust in the electoral process, especially amid scrutiny of voter rolls, identity verification methods, and the reliability of voting technology, say officials.

--IANS

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