Currently, linking Aadhaar to voter IDs remains optional following a Supreme Court ruling, and despite the Commission's ongoing efforts to encourage voluntary linkage, the initiative has met with considerable resistance
New Delhi: The Election Commission is set to explore making Aadhaar linkage with voter ID cards mandatory in an effort to resolve persistent issues with duplicate registrations. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has scheduled a high-level meeting for Tuesday with top officials, including the Union home secretary, secretary of the legislative department, and the CEO of UIDAI, to discuss integrating the Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) with Aadhaar.
Currently, linking Aadhaar to voter IDs remains optional following a Supreme Court ruling, and despite the Commission's ongoing efforts to encourage voluntary linkage, the initiative has met with considerable resistance. Concerns over electoral integrity have intensified after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee highlighted widespread duplication of EPIC numbers, suggesting the issue might be exploited to influence voting outcomes.
The BJP has also raised alarms, citing figures that indicate over 13 lakh duplicate voter entries in West Bengal, with 8,415 individuals reportedly sharing identical EPIC numbers. Additionally, the Trinamul Congress, in a recent five-page memorandum submitted to the Commission, accused the state of generating duplicate Aadhaar cards to facilitate fake voter registrations and called for stricter measures to verify voter enrolments and prevent fraudulent practices.
The ECI has announced plans to resolve the duplicate EPIC issue within the next three months, and the upcoming discussions will examine potential legal remedies — including the enactment of new legislation — to ensure seamless integration of Aadhaar with voter IDs.
