News Excerpt:
About 4,000 voters from 14 villages along the border between Maharashtra and Telangana could be the only ones in India to have the “privilege” to vote twice in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
More about the news:
- The 14 villages come under two gram panchayats — Parandoli and Antapur — which are over 30 km apart. The villagers have two voter ID cards each with their names listed in the constituencies of both the states.
- Because of the decades-old boundary dispute between Maharashtra and Telangana, these 14 villages have two of every institution and facility, provided by each of the neighbouring states.
- These villages have two gram panchayats and sarpanches to primary government schools (one instructing in Marathi, the other in Telugu) and health care centres.
- Each of the villagers also have two ration cards, Aadhaar cards, MNREGA cards, caste certificates and other documents — one each from Maharashtra and Telangana.
- These documents enable them to avail benefits of social welfare schemes from both states.
Legal provision for Multiple Voter IDs and enrollment:
- Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950 makes not only enrollment twice in electoral rolls but even having two voter ID cards from two places as unlawful.
- Section 17 of the RPA provides that no person is entitled to be enrolled as a voter in more than one constituency.
- Section 31 of the act makes false declaration in the matter of inclusion or exclusion of voter rolls punishable with up to one year in prison.
