Election Commission: To stop fraudulent voting, the Election Commission has chosen to connect voter ID to Aadhaar. This action was taken in response to opposition parties’ claims of tampering with the voting process. But this procedure is fraught with political and legal issues. All political parties have been asked for their suggestions, and the Election Commission intends to roll out this strategy gradually. The electoral process will become more transparent as a result.

To stop fraudulent voting, the Election Commission has chosen to connect voter cards to Aadhaar cards. A compromise was reached on Tuesday to link voter cards to Aadhaar during a meeting between Election Commission and Unique Identification Authority of India officials. It will be connected in accordance with the RP Act and Article 326 of the Constitution. Ten years ago, the Election Commission started the process of connecting voter ID to Aadhaar, but the campaign had to be halted once the case went to court.

In reply to opposition parties’ accusations of phony voting, the Election Commission has chosen to re-link Aadhaar to voter ID. This is because everyone,

from Rahul Gandhi to Mamta Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav, have expressed concerns about phony elections. Rahul further claimed that one EPIC number was used to register two votes. The Election Commission was given the chance to act in this manner, and it has done so.

Even with the best of intentions, the Election Commission faces numerous obstacles in its work, ranging from legal to political. Linking voter ID to Aadhaar is challenging because of the lengthy history of disputes surrounding this issue. It is currently unclear how the Election Commission will be able to carry it out in such a circumstance.

Voter ID and Aadhaar will be linked.

The Election Commission met with the Union Home Secretary, Legislative Secretary, MeitY Secretary, and UIDAI CEO on Tuesday to discuss connecting the voter card to Aadhaar in an effort to stop fraudulent voting. The Election Commission then declared, “Aadhaar is just a person’s identity, but Article 326 of the Constitution states that only Indian citizens are eligible to vote.” In order to link the voter photo identity card to Aadhaar, it was agreed to abide by all applicable legislation. According to the Election Commission, the process of connecting the voter card to Aadhaar will be carried out in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directives and current legislation.

Prior to the next elections, the goal of integrating voter ID with Aadhaar is to improve electoral efficiency, inclusivity, and transparency. That has been seen many times before. The same individual possesses multiple voter IDs in various places. By connecting Aadhaar, such duplicate voter cards can be eliminated. In other words, a person will only vote in one location. There, he will be able to cast his ballot.

But before March 31, the Election Commission will meet with Chief Election Officers (CEO), District Election Officers (DEO), and Electoral Registration Officers (ERO). In addition, the Election Commission has formally requested, within the parameters of the law, recommendations from all state and national political parties by April 30, 2025. It is thought that the Election Commission will not take any significant action in this regard until after this.

The Election Commission made an attempt in 2015.

The National Voter List Purification Program (NERPAP) was administered by the Election Commission ten years ago, from March to August 2015. To connect voter ID to Aadhaar cards, the Election Commission launched a campaign. The Election Commission had finished connecting over 30 crore voter IDs to Aadhaar at that point as well, but the case went to court. The Supreme Court subsequently outlawed the connection of voter ID cards to Aadhaar.

2018 saw a Supreme Court ban.

The names of roughly 55 lakh Andhra Pradesh and Telangana voters were really deleted from the voter database during the process of connecting voter ID to Aadhaar cards. As a result, the Supreme Court heard views about whether Aadhaar was constitutional. The Election Commission was prevented from connecting voter ID to Aadhaar by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court made it plain in its Aadhaar ruling in September 2018 that Aadhaar cannot be required for any service other than welfare and subsidy programs. As a result, the Election Commission was forced to halt the process of connecting voter ID with Aadhaar.

The law was modified by the Center in 2021.

The law was changed by the Modi administration at the center to connect the voter ID card and Aadhaar. In order to stop fraudulent voting, the central government made changes to the Representation of the People Act. This gave legal force to the pairing of voter ID with Aadhaar. In addition, the Modi administration at the Center sent out a notification in June 2022 to connect voter ID to Aadhaar. Under this, however, connecting voter ID to Aadhaar remained optional.

The topic of connecting voter ID with Aadhaar was deliberated in Parliament in April 2023. In the Rajya Sabha, the national government stated that this process is being carried out in stages. There is no due date for this. Even if a voter’s ID is not connected to their Aadhaar card, their names will remain on the voter list.

The Election Commission met with Ministry of Home Affairs officials on Tuesday to discuss the technical details of connecting voter ID cards to Aadhaar. The decision to begin integrating the Aadhaar card with voter ID was authorized during a meeting between the Election Commission and the Union Home Secretary, Legislative Secretary, MeitY Secretary, and UIDAI CEO.

It is challenging to link voter ID to Aadhaar.

The primary motivation for the commission’s desire to connect voter ID cards to Aadhaar is to stop fraudulent voting. Despite the best of intentions, this endeavor is fraught with difficulties, ranging from legal to political. Permission was granted to link Aadhaar to a voter ID card following the 2021 amendment to the Representation of the People Act 1951. After requesting the voters’ Aadhaar numbers, the Election Commission explained that linking the two papers is optional and that those who want not to do so should not. In such a setting, it is not easy to link all voter IDs to Aadhaar.

A total of 66.23 crore Aadhaar numbers have been sent to the Election Commission. Voter ID has not yet been connected to these, though. The reason for this is the court case in 2023. According to the commission, the process is voluntary, but the form used to gather information does not support this claim, which was made when the case made its way to the Supreme Court. There will still be this question.

 

Concerns regarding privacy will arise if Aadhaar is connected to voter ID cards. The largest issue in the modern period is the leakage of personal information. The security challenge would increase when the voter ID and Aadhaar databases are linked. Software and technologies will be required in such a scenario so that people do not have any

Rahul Gandhi asked questions

Rahul Gandhi, the head of the Congress, stated on social media that the Congress and India Alliance’s constituent parties have been bringing up irregular voter list additions and deletions as well as duplicate voter IDs on a regular basis. Poor people will experience difficulties with the connection process if their Aadhaar number is connected to several voter IDs. The Election Commission should make sure that no Indian is denied the opportunity to vote in such a scenario. By making the voter list for the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra elections public, I demand that the Commission take note of the problem of adding and removing names.

Political parties will raise questions.

Examining the political ramifications of connecting voter ID to Aadhaar is equally crucial. The problem of duplicate voter IDs was brought up by TMC president Mamata Banerjee. All of the major parties have already voiced their concerns. It is clear that the Election Commission wants to remove duplication and ensure that every vote is valid in such a scenario. In his parting speech, Rajiv Kumar discussed the niche field of biometric identification; however, the problem is that the entire process is currently voluntary. How will the Commission obtain all of the data if it continues to be optional in the future? How will the duplication be removed if all of the data is not available

Why is voter verification crucial for Aadhaar

Preventing fraudulent voting will be greatly aided by connecting Aadhaar to voter ID cards. It has frequently been seen that one individual possesses multiple voter IDs in various locations. By connecting with Aadhaar, such duplicate voter cards can be eliminated. In such a scenario, an individual will only be eligible to vote in that location. In addition, connecting with Aadhaar will assist in eliminating deceased individuals, those residing elsewhere, and fraudulent votes. The voter list will be entirely new as a result. With Aadhaar, voter verification will be simple. Voting will be safe and simple with Aadhaar connection if a feature like electronic voting becomes available in the future.