Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa urges EC to clarify ‘abnormal surge’ in voter numbers
New Delhi: Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa has called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to explain the abnormal rise in the number of electors during recent elections, including those held in Maharashtra and Delhi.
In an interview with the New Indian Express, Lavasa said the surge in registered voters has raised valid concerns, particularly from opposition parties, regarding the integrity of the electoral rolls.
“Identifying the voter’s uniqueness is the key because one person is not supposed to have more than one Aadhaar,” Lavasa said, adding, “The EC must explain why the number of electors registered increased abnormally.”
He further noted that it remains unclear how many individuals might be registered in more than one location. “That is one part of the story. The question is how to de-duplicate them if these people were already enrolled in another place and were also enrolled here,” he said.
Pointing to the scale of the issue, Lavasa mentioned that there are already 98 crore registered voters in the country. He said the Election Commission is currently in consultation with political parties and technical departments to arrive at a solution.
According to Lavasa, Aadhaar could be used effectively to detect duplicate entries due to its biometric identification capabilities. However, he was firm that the right to vote should not be contingent upon possessing an Aadhaar card.
“In my view, Aadhaar is the only document that can be used for de-duplication. But the Aadhaar Act does not make having an Aadhaar mandatory. The right to vote is not dependent on having an Aadhaar. That should be separated,” he said.
He clarified that Aadhaar can serve as an administrative tool to clean the electoral rolls, but it must not become a barrier for eligible voters to be included in the list.
Lavasa, who served as Election Commissioner from 2018 to 2020, was known for advocating transparency and electoral reforms during his tenure.
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KSRTC to run 1000 special services to clear Christmas rush
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation will operate 1000 additional special services in view of the Christmas festival.
In addition to the existing schedule, the special services will run on 19.12.2025, 20.12.2025 and 24.12.2025. Further, special buses will be operated from various places of intra & Interstate places to Bengaluru on 26.12.2025 & 28.12.2025.
Special buses will be exclusively operated from Bengaluru Kempegowda Bus Station to Dharmastala, Kukkesubramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Shringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubbali, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and other places.
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Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be exclusively operated towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri.
The corporation has also announced a discount of 5 per cent on the fare if four or more passengers book tickets under a single reservation. A discount of 10 per cent will be extended on return journey tickets if onward and return tickets are booked simultaneously.
In addition to the above, special buses will be operated from all Taluk/District Bus Stands in the jurisdiction of KSRTC based on the traffic needs.
