ECI and UIDAI to link voter records with Aadhhar

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will work with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to link voter records with Aadhaar.

Background and Opposition Allegations

1. Allegations were raised by Opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC), about duplicate voter identity cards.
2. They also accused the Election Commission of manipulating electoral rolls .
3. In response, the Election Commission of India (ECI) acknowledged the issue.
4. The ECI clarified that some state Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) had mistakenly reused alphanumeric sequences while generating EPIC numbers.
5. The ECI explained that having the same EPIC number does not mean voter fraud.
6. This is because each elector’s demographic details, constituency, and polling station are different.
7. The ECI decided to take corrective action.
8. It committed to replacing all duplicate EPIC numbers within a fixed time frame.

Current Status of Aadhaar Submission

1. By 2023, over 66 crore voters voluntarily submitted their Aadhaar numbers to the ECI.
2. These voters and Aadhaar databases have not yet been linked.
3. ECI and UIDAI will now explore technical methods for linking records for these 66 crore voters.

Legal Framework for Linking

1. Linking will be done under Sections 23(4), 23(5), and 23(6) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
2. These sections authorize:

1. Electoral officers to request Aadhaar for verification.
2. Voluntary submission of Aadhaar by voters.
3. Protection against denial of voter registration for not providing Aadhaar.

Amendments to Form 6B

1. Currently, Form 6B offers only two options:

1. Submit Aadhaar.
2. Declare non-possession of Aadhaar.

2. It does not allow voters to decline voluntarily without declaring they don’t have Aadhaar.
3. The Law Ministry will amend Form 6B via a gazette notification.
4. The revised form will clarify that Aadhaar submission is voluntary, but voters will still need to provide a reason for non-submission.
5. This change aligns with the ECI's statement in G. Niranjan vs ECI (2023) about ensuring that forms clearly reflect voluntary nature.
6. The amendment is expected before the Bihar Assembly elections later this year.

 

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