The Election Commission of India met today to make its final decision regarding the linking of Voter ID cards with Aadhaar, a step that has come under scrutiny from the Congress party. The Congress has argued that this move is a result of issues raised regarding electoral roll discrepancies in Maharashtra during the Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
To the actions of the Commission, the Congress has issued a warning to highlight the significance of maintaining the voting rights of all citizens who are eligible. The party has urged an accurate balance in maintaining electoral integrity while ensuring protection of individual privacy.
After a meeting with the UIDAI CEO, Home Secretary, Law Secretary, and Chief Election Commissioner, the EC declared that it would proceed under Article 326 of the Representation of the People Act and applicable Supreme Court judgments to enable the EPIC-Aadhaar linking. The Commission made it clear that the linking will be on a voluntary basis, and around 650 million people have already done so.
Union Home Ministry is to join hands with the EC in order to sort out citizenship problems in the border districts and clear doubts on identity verification so that actual voters do not miss their chance to cast their votes. The Commission has asked the ministry to supply solutions to identify actual voters.
In a historical judgment in 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that Aadhaar law is constitutional but quashed the Aadhaar-mandating of linking Aadhaar to bank accounts and mobile numbers. Yet, it did allow Aadhaar linking to avail government subsidy and welfare benefits.
Technical discussions between the UIDAI and Election Commission officials are to begin soon. As per Article 326 of the Constitution, voting is reserved for Indians, but Aadhaar is only a method of determining identity based on biometrics and address proof, without determining citizenship.
The Commission has given itself a three-month timeline to clear duplicate EPIC numbers. The move comes in the wake of Congress party charges of an unusual surge in fresh voter registrations in Maharashtra between the Lok Sabha and assembly polls, with fears of duplicate or bogus registrations.
The Congress has stated that the Election Commission has recognized the problem of people possessing multiple voter IDs, something that it thinks can be tackled through Aadhaar-based efforts at de-duplication.
The ongoing discussion over voter rolls has been the center of concern for the Congress as well as the INDIA coalition, with renewed demands for transparency in terms of high insertions and surprise deletions of names. In a recent X post, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi renewed demands that the Election Commission make public the entire electoral photo rolls for the forthcoming Maharashtra 2024 Vidhan Sabha as well as Lok Sabha elections.
