Barely 25% link Aadhaar cards to voters’ list in Pune

Although the Election Commission (EC) and district administration are urging citizens to link their Aadhaar cards to the voters’ list to avoid duplication of voter names, the drive is getting a cold response, especially from urban areas. The EC has clearly said that it is not mandatory for citizens to link their Aadhaar cards to the voters’ list and that they can do so only if they wish. As such, Pune district is getting a cold response to this ‘linking of Aadhaar cards’ initiative.

Pune district collector Rajesh Deshmukh said, “We started the drive. We are getting better response in rural areas as compared to urban areas. For example, in a tehsil like Indapur, almost 45% of the voters have linked their Aadhaar cards to the voters’ list but in Pune city, hardly 25% voters have come forward.”

The chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar was in the city on October 9 and 10. He too pointed towards the apathy on the part of the urban voters towards the democratic process. “Not only in Pune but almost in all metro areas, voters are not coming forward. The EC’s focus is to bring them into the fold. As per the law, citizens are getting a holiday on voting day but many voters choose to travel out of the city. We are discussing with industry representatives and requesting them to create awareness amongst the voters,” Kumar said.

Whereas Maharashtra chief election officer Shrikant Deshpande said, “Urban apathy is a major issue. The EC is conducting various campaigns to urge urban voters to participate in the enrolment and cast their votes. To sensitise urban voters, the EC for the first time has gone to other states and campaigned. The CEC himself visited Pune city, and participated in various programmes.”