Published: Monday, May 14, 2012, 11:13 IST | Updated: Monday, May 14, 2012, 11:13 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA
Your voter ID card may soon have your unique identification number (Aadhaar), with the chief election commissioner Dr SY Qureshi stating that he has sought the Planning Commission’s permission for including Adhar numbers in voter ID cards.
Speaking at a programme at Bangalore International Centre at Teri Complex, Domlur, Qureshi said: “When Adhar was planned, Nandan Nilekani approached me and asked if we can work together in some way. We already had the largest data base of the people in the country and we said we will look into it.”
Later, the Election Commission asked the Planning Commission to look into the matter. “We are awaiting communication from the Planning Commission. We will probably use the unique identification number given to the Adhar card holder on the voter ID card as the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has a finger print proof database,” he explained.
Speaking about electoral reforms, he said: “We have decided on three or four reforms. One is to ban tainted people from entering elections. Those who have been imprisoned over five years should not be contesting elections. I met with law minister VeerappaMoily in this regard. We also held seven consultations.
The eighth one was to be at the national level and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave us the date for the discussion. But, due to unforeseen circumstances, we ended postponing the meeting.” Explaining the circumstances for cancelling the appointment with the PM, Qureshi said: “The first appointment was on April 8 when India was selected for the finals of the Cricket World Cup and no minister was available. The second date was in July when Anna Hazare took the country out on to the street.”
Qureshi said the media and the Press Council have an important role to play in elections, adding that: “We have told our officials if they see news on the television about some suspicious activity happening at a polling booth, they can take action immediately without waiting for orders from the Election Commission.”
The Election Commission spends over `1,200 crore per election which amounts to `16 per voter.
The Election Commission spends over `1,200 crore per election which amounts to `16 per voter.