EC brings in e-sign feature to check misuse of voter list identity. Pg1.

Key Highlights:

• The Election Commission (EC) introduced an e-sign feature on its ECINet portal to prevent misuse of voter list identity [i].
• The new feature requires applicants submitting Form 6, 7, or 8 to verify their identity via Aadhaar OTP [i].
• This move aims to curb fraudulent deletion attempts, such as the one in Aland, where identities were misused to seek deletion of about 6,000 voters [i].
• The ECINet portal consolidates around 40 apps and portals for voters and officials, including the earlier ERONet [i].

Detailed Insights:

• The e-sign process redirects applicants to a portal operated by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), where they must enter their Aadhaar number and generate an OTP [i].
• The applicant's name on the voter card must match the one on their Aadhaar, and the mobile number used must be linked to Aadhaar for verification [i].
• In the Aland case, an FIR was filed after verification of deletion applications in February 2023, and it was found that most applications misused voter identities [i].
• The EC clarified that no vote deletion can be done online by the public and that physical verification is conducted before any deletion [i].
• Physical verification of the 6,018 names in Aland revealed that only 24 applications were correct, and the remaining were not processed [i].
• Form 7, used for deletion requests, requires details of the person whose name is to be deleted, citing reasons such as death, shifting, or ineligibility [i].

Key Concepts Involved:

• ECINet: A unified portal and app by the Election Commission integrating various services for voters and election officials [i].
• Aadhaar OTP: A one-time password sent to the mobile number linked with Aadhaar for identity verification [i].
• Form 6/7/8: Forms used for new voter registration, deletion requests, and correction of entries in the electoral roll, respectively [i].