The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced plans to examine the possibility of linking voter ID cards with Aadhaar. Technical discussions between EC experts and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) are set to "begin soon", according to reports.
However, the move raises questions about privacy, potential voter disenfranchisement, and the impact on electoral integrity.
The EC stated that any linkage would adhere to existing laws, Supreme Court directives on Aadhaar usage, and privacy safeguards.
The decision was made following a high-level meeting involving the Union Home Secretary, the Legislative Secretary from the Law Ministry, the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the UIDAI CEO.
Experts warn that linking Aadhaar with voter ID could have far-reaching consequences. So, what are these concerns?
BOOM spoke to a few experts.
Srikanth L from CashlessConsumer, a collective for raising awareness on digital payments technology, pointed out that this linkage will “create panopticon-like surveillance infrastructure”.
He explained, “Currently, Aadhaar is not officially mandatory for many services, but it is often required in practice—for mobile connections, gas connections, and other essential services. By keeping voter ID separate from Aadhaar, individuals retain some ability to maintain unlinkable data sets.”
However, as Srikanth said, once Aadhaar is linked to voter ID, that separation collapses.
Even without sharing Aadhaar, its link can be inferred if a voter ID—already linked to Aadhaar—is used for an application, he added.
Does the Law Support Voter ID-Aadhaar Linkage?
The idea of linking voter IDs with Aadhaar has been a subject of legal and policy debate for years. The government and the Election Commission argue that it can help eliminate duplicate and fraudulent voter entries.
On March 11, a 10-member delegation from the Trinamool Congress met with Election Commission officials, claiming that Aadhaar cards were being cloned and could be misused for fraudulent voter registrations. The party urged the EC to provide a separate list outlining voter deletions, new additions, and modifications with each updated electoral roll.
Commenting on the exercise, former IAS officer Rangarajan R told BOOM that linking voter IDs with Aadhaar is in fact legally feasible, citing a similar exercise in 2015.
In 2015, the EC launched the National Electoral Rolls Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP) to clean up voter rolls by linking them with Aadhaar. The goal was to remove duplicate and fake voter entries, ensuring a more accurate electoral roll. Within three months, over 300 million voter IDs were collected for the purpose.
However, in August 2015, the Supreme Court issued an interim order restricting the mandatory use of Aadhaar to welfare schemes and PAN linkage. Since voter ID linkage was not included in the exceptions, the EC was forced to halt NERPAP.
In September 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar Act in the Puttaswamy judgment, but also reinforced the principle that Aadhaar should not be mandatory beyond specific purposes approved by law.
Following this, the EC sought legal backing for Aadhaar-voter ID linkage, and in December 2021, Parliament amended the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
These amendments legally enabled linking Aadhaar with voter ID, as under the new framework:
- New voters must submit Aadhaar details via Form 6 to establish identity when registering.
- Existing voters can authenticate their details by submitting Aadhaar through Form 6B.
- If a voter does not have an Aadhaar number, they can submit other approved identity documents.
Is It The Ideal Solution?
According to Srikanth, the idea of linking Aadhaar for "purification" of voter data is not inherently necessary, as the presence of a name on the voter roll is what truly matters.
He pointed out, “A voter ID is not the sole criterion for voting. What truly matters is being listed in the official electoral roll.” Srikanth also warned that Aadhaar-voter ID linking might reinforce fraudulent identities rather than eliminate them.
“If voter IDs are commonly used to obtain Aadhaar, then a fraudster with a fake voter ID likely secured a fake Aadhaar as well,” he explained. Instead of detecting and removing such fake entries, the linkage will only solidify their existence,” he added.
He further questioned whether Aadhaar is necessary to eliminate duplicate EPIC (Electors Photo Identification Card) numbers, as the EC claims. “The EC should first disclose how many duplicate EPIC numbers actually exist,” he said.
Srikanth noted that cases of individuals having voter IDs in multiple states have already been reported. “If the EC has all its data, it should be easy for them to publish the number of duplicate entries,” he argued, adding that such an analysis can be done without Aadhaar, as the EC already maintains a voter database.
Rangarajan, meanwhile, raised concerns about whether Aadhaar-voter ID linking would prevent wrongful deletions from electoral rolls. “Every election, some people claim their names are missing,” he said. “It could be deliberate manipulation or just a clerical error—like an entire street being left out during an update.”
However, he stressed that linking Aadhaar to EPIC number would not solve this issue. “That’s a separate problem altogether. Whether you link Aadhaar or not, wrongful deletions will still happen, and they need to be addressed differently,” he concluded.
An Uphill Climb Ahead
According to the experts, once the Aadhaar-voter ID linking is done, it could create complications for migrant voters.
Srikanth pointed out that many people keep their voter IDs registered in their hometowns even after moving to different cities or states. While they may update their Aadhaar address for practical needs like bank loans, their voter ID often remains unchanged.
"This happens across all social classes—poor, middle class, and rich. Many migrants work in cities but vote in their hometowns," he said. He raised concerns about whether Aadhaar could be used to challenge voting rights. "If my Aadhaar address is in a different city, does that mean I lose my right to vote in my hometown?"
Estimating that 15-20% of voters could be affected, he questioned, "People move between cities and states. If Aadhaar is linked, will it decide where I vote instead of my voter ID?". He warned that once the linkage happens, such issues could arise.
Rangarajan highlighted another major concern: duplicate entries for individuals who relocate.
The retired IAS officer acknowledged worries about duplicate EPIC numbers but downplayed their immediate impact. He explained that past problems arose due to decentralised numbering, which ERO Net—the Election Commission's online system for managing voter registration—now aims to resolve.
"The bigger challenge is duplicate entries for those who move cities," he said. "For example, if someone shifts from Mumbai to Delhi and applies for a voter ID in Delhi, they should also request removal from Mumbai’s roll. But often, the Mumbai entry remains." He argued that linking Aadhaar may help eliminate such duplicates.
"If there is a significantly high duplicate entries nationwide, how do we handle them? One solution could be for the Election Commission to contact individuals via their Aadhaar-linked mobile number or registered addresses, asking them to confirm their details within a given timeframe. If they don’t respond, one entry could be deleted," he suggested.
However, he acknowledged the practical difficulties, particularly for migrant workers who may not respond in time. "This is where the real problem lies," he concluded.
Therefore, Aadhaar may serve as an identity verification tool, but it must be taken care that it doesn’t override a citizen’s right to vote. As the debate continues, it is essential for EC to ensure that technological measures do not compromise democratic rights or exclude legitimate voters.