Election Commission to Review Aadhaar-Voter ID Linking Amid Concerns Over Duplicate Voter Entries
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to deliberate on the contentious issue of linking Aadhaar with voter identification cards in a high-level meeting scheduled for Tuesday. The discussion will involve the Union Home Secretary, the Legislative Secretary, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). This meeting gains significance in the wake of allegations regarding discrepancies in voter records, which have raised concerns about electoral integrity.
The urgency of this discussion follows allegations made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who recently pointed out instances where multiple voters across different states were found to have been assigned the same serial number on their Electors’ Photo Identity Cards (EPIC). She warned that such discrepancies could be exploited to manipulate elections, particularly with the upcoming state elections in West Bengal.
In response, the Election Commission assured that the issue would be resolved within three months. It clarified that even if two voters were found to have identical voter ID numbers, they would not be able to cast their vote in a polling booth where they were not officially enrolled. Despite this assurance, the controversy has reignited debates about the reliability of India’s voter registration system. Commission
The issue of duplicate voter IDs is not a recent discovery. The Election Commission has been aware of this anomaly for at least four years. In 2020, the commission issued specific guidelines to chief electoral officers across states, instructing them to rectify such errors as part of the Special Summary Revision process. However, there has been little transparency regarding what measures have been implemented since then.
The Proposal to Link Aadhaar with Voter IDs
A senior official within the Election Commission indicated that linking Aadhaar with voter ID cards could help detect cases where a single individual has been registered in multiple constituencies. Aadhaar, which is known for its biometric authentication system, is considered to be essentially free from duplication errors, making it a potential solution to eliminate bogus voter entries.
At present, linking Aadhaar with voter IDs is not mandatory. However, critics argue that the language used on official forms collecting Aadhaar data is ambiguous and indirectly pressures individuals into compliance. The Supreme Court was informed in 2023 that nearly two-thirds of all registered voters had already provided their Aadhaar details to the Election Commission.
Aadhaar-Voter ID Linking: A Controversial History
This is not the first time an attempt has been made to link voter ID cards with Aadhaar. In 2015, the Election Commission launched the National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme (Neprap) to establish this link. However, the initiative was halted within the same year when the Supreme Court ruled that Aadhaar could only be used for essential services such as ration distribution, kerosene supply, and cooking gas subsidies.
Concerns about the Aadhaar-voter ID linkage resurfaced when RTI inquiries in Telangana revealed that the Neprap initiative had led to the deletion of approximately 5.5 million voter registrations. The process of verifying voter identities in the state was found to be irregular, raising fears of large-scale disenfranchisement.
The push to link Aadhaar with voter IDs has faced resistance from various quarters. In 2019, several political figures, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha, Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Brinda Karat, and former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha, strongly opposed the move.
In a letter to the Election Commission, they expressed their concerns about Aadhaar data inaccuracies, stating that linking Aadhaar with the electoral roll could “contaminate and weaken” India’s democratic process. They pointed to cases of incorrect Aadhaar enrolments and warned that using such flawed data for voter registration could lead to massive errors.
Their concerns were further backed by the 2017-2018 State of Aadhaar report, prepared by the private research firm IDinsight. The report found that self-reported errors in Aadhaar data were 1.5 times higher than errors found in the voter database, raising questions about Aadhaar’s reliability in ensuring electoral accuracy.
Legal and Legislative Developments
In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that while the right to privacy is fundamental, it could be curtailed under certain legal conditions. Following this judgment, the Indian government amended the Representation of the People Act, 1950, in 2021, allowing the Election Commission to collect Aadhaar details voluntarily.
However, the amendment also stated that no citizen could be denied voter registration or have their name removed from the electoral roll for failing to provide their Aadhaar details. Despite this safeguard, the law includes a clause requiring individuals to provide a “sufficient cause” for refusing to link their Aadhaar, which has led to concerns about potential coercion.
One of the biggest concerns raised by opponents of Aadhaar-voter ID linking is the potential for data theft and misuse. There have been multiple instances where voter data has been compromised:
- In 2019, reports emerged from Andhra Pradesh, alleging that voter data was stolen and misused for political advantage. The stolen data reportedly helped political parties identify voters who were beneficiaries of government welfare schemes, enabling them to tailor campaign strategies accordingly.
- In 2022, a similar case was reported in Bengaluru, where private entities allegedly gained access to voter data, sparking fears of manipulation.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Aadhaar-Voter ID Linking
As the Election Commission prepares to revisit the Aadhaar-voter ID linking debate, the issue remains a deeply divisive one. Proponents argue that linking the two databases will enhance the accuracy of electoral rolls and prevent fraudulent voting. Critics, however, warn of mass voter disenfranchisement, privacy violations, and the potential for data-driven political manipulation.
While the Supreme Court’s rulings and government amendments have laid down legal frameworks for voluntary Aadhaar linkage, the ambiguity in enforcement and the history of data breaches continue to fuel skepticism. As the 2024 general elections approach, the decision taken in Tuesday’s meeting could have significant implications for the future of India’s electoral process