NEW DELHI, March 15: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has called a meeting on March 18 with Union Home Secretary and the Legislative Secretary to discuss the issue of linking voter identity cards with Aadhaar numbers. The meeting is set against the backdrop of concerns over alleged bogus voters, with opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raising alarms about duplicate names appearing on voter lists.

Currently, there is no legal obligation for voter rolls to be seeded with the Aadhaar database, and voters are expected to voluntarily provide their Aadhaar numbers to election officers for identity verification. The upcoming meeting comes after the Election Commission of India (ECI) had earlier invited suggestions from political parties to strengthen the electoral process.

The ECI has set a deadline of April 30 for political parties to submit feedback on unresolved issues related to Electoral Registration Officers (ERO), District Election Officers (DEO), and Chief Electoral Officers (CEO), as appropriate. In an official statement, the ECI mentioned that it had sent individual letters to political parties seeking their input and proposed direct interactions with party leaders at mutually convenient times to improve electoral practices.

This move follows a recent ECI conference, during which Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar instructed officials, including CEOs, DEOs, and EROs across states and Union Territories, to hold regular engagements with political parties. He also directed them to resolve suggestions within the framework of existing legal provisions and submit action taken reports by March 31.

Political parties, among 28 key stakeholders identified by the Commission, play a vital role in the constitutional and statutory framework governing electoral processes.