Turned 18 but were denied your voter's card? This may change soon
"A proposal to fix more than one qualifying date on a year for enrolment in electoral roll is under consideration of the Government."
10:27 AM IST
Indian Constitution allows citizens to vote--provided there are general or local elections--in their respective constituencies the moment they turn 18. However, an anomaly in the Representation of the People Act of 1950 makes a teenager unqualified to be registered as a voter. The Central Government is now trying to fix this.
As per the section 14 (b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, a person becomes eligible to enroll his/her name in the electoral roll as on 1st day of January of the year in which it is so prepared or revised. What this means is that the relevant date for determining that a citizen has turned 18 and is qualified to vote in an election, is January 1 of the year in which the voters list is revised. This implies that all those who turn 18 between January 2 and December 31 in a year, cannot be registered in the electoral rolls, a Times of India report said.
The Election Commission (EC) has requested the Government to amend the Act so as to make it possible for citizens to get a voters card as soon as they turn 18. Minister of Law and Justice, Sadananda Gowda, in a response to a question in the Rajya Sabha on May 6, said, "A proposal to fix more than one qualifying date on a year for enrolment in electoral roll is under consideration of the Government."
As per a report in the Times of India, "In a letter to the law ministry on November 4, the commission suggested doing away with first day of the year as the qualifying date for determining minimum voting age, and allowing new voters to be enrolled soon after turning 18."
"There is no reason why a person turning 18 after the 'January 1 qualifying date' must be denied a chance to vote in case an election is scheduled that year," a commission official said in the report.
Want to register yourself as a voter? Click here.
Find yourself on the voters list here.
Get Latest Business News, Stock Market Updates and Videos; Check your tax outgo through Income Tax Calculator and save money through our Personal Finance coverage. Check Business Breaking News Live on Zee Business Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
)
7 Stocks to buy for long term: Analysts recommend largecap, midcap stocks; Axis Bank, Ambuja Cements on the list
)
Top 5 Largecap Mutual Funds With up to 42% Return in 3 Months: Rs 22,222 SIP investment in top-performing fund has jumped to Rs 70,440
)
Power of Rs 10,00,000 One-time Investment: How your Rs 10 lakh investment can turn into Rs 3 crore, Rs 4.47 crore, and Rs 6.63 crore in 30 years
)
8th Pay Commission Pension Calculations: How your Rs 20,200, Rs 25,250, Rs 34,000, and Rs 44,200 basic pension can be revised at 2.10-2.50 fitment factors (detailed charts)
)
How a 29-KM expressway transformed Gurugram’s real estate; these 4 areas are now hotspots for millionaires
)
8th CPC Salary Calculations: What can be revised basic pay for Grade Pay 1800, 2400, 2800 and 4200 employees at 1.92, 2.08 and 2.28 fitment factors?
)
Power of Rs 13,000 SIP: How many years will it take to generate Rs 9,00,00,000 corpus with just Rs 13,000 monthly investment?
10:27 AM IST