Poll panel to use UID to check duplicity in electoral roll
Lalmani Verma Posted online: Wed Jun 05 2013, 01:57 hrs
Lucknow : The Election Commission will use Unique Identification Number (UID) that Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is issuing to people, for checking duplication of voters in its electoral roll in Uttar Pradesh. The chief electoral office of UP has started collection of UID number of voters and updating its electoral roll database with them.
Directorate of Census Operations (DCO) is collecting biometric details of people for National Population Register (NPR). The Government of India has directed DCO to complete the collection of biometric capture of photograph, finger prints and iris scan of both the eyes, being done in 38 districts at present, in the state by December 31.
Three firms — Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL), Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and ITI Limited — are collecting biometric details for DCO, which is uploading the details on the server of UIDAI.
“We have started collecting the UID of every voter and updating our electoral roll database,” said Umesh Sinha, Chief Electoral Officer, UP.
In the ongoing door-to-door survey that started on May 20, the booth-level officers (BLOs) are asking the voters to provide UID if they have any. When UID has been issued to everyone, applicants would be asked to provide UID in Form 6 also. The voters who are going for UID are also being asked for their electoral photo identity card (EPIC) number.
Sinha said checking of duplication of voters in the electoral roll would become easy once the UID of all the voters of UP is provided in the database. After that if a person, who has his name registered as voter in one particular constituency and his UID is in the electoral roll database, will apply for registration at another address within the same or any other constituency in the state, duplicity would be checked as UID number of the applicant would be the same.
If duplicity was traced, registration of applicant as voter at the new place would not be allowed.
“As the same staff of district administration is involved in maintenance of electoral roll database and monitoring of collection of biometric details for NPR, updating of electoral roll database with UID has become easy,” an official said.
The CEO had identified around 25 lakh duplicate names which were registered in the roll of more than one polling booth within Assembly constituencies in UP last year. The CEO had identified these duplicate names using a “de-duplication” software prepared by the Election Commission.