The debate on combating Voter fraud has seen a probable solution in the demand of mandatory linking of Aadhaar Card with the Voter ID.

About the Linking

• The Government through the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 has enabled the linking of Voter ID with Aadhaar card.
  • The linking is voluntary in nature and is not mandatory.
• Status of Aadhaar Linking: The Election Commission of India through a Right to Information response has disclosed that, over 60% of India’s 94.5 crore voters have linked their Aadhaar number to their voter IDs,
  • Tripura had the highest rate of Aadhaar linking with over 92% of the voters having their Aadhaar linked whereas, Gujarat had the lowest linking with only 31.5% of voters linking the document to their voter registration.
• Arguments In Favour of Linking: 
  • Voter Transparency: Linking Aadhaar with Voter ID will help in removing duplicate or fake entries from electoral rolls, ensuring voter transparency
  • Reduces Electoral Fraud: Aadhaar’s biometric authentication can act as a strong deterrent against impersonation and other forms of voter fraud during elections.
  • Double Authentication: Aadhaar linkage would enable an extra layer of authentication of the voter identity 
  • Updated Electoral Rolls: Aadhaar authentication will help ECI to maintain up-to-date and accurate electoral rolls, reflecting real-time migration or demographic changes.
  • Enhances Voter Convenience: Aadhaar linkage could facilitate seamless voter identification, making the voting process smoother and more accessible. As now the voter need not take his Voter ID card to the station.
  • Cost Efficiency in Election Management: Accurate voter databases can help reduce administrative costs associated with managing and updating electoral rolls and conducting elections
  • Enhance Transparency: Aadhaar provides real-time verification, reducing impersonation and boosting election credibility.
• Arguments Against Linking Voter ID with Aadhaar
  • Risk to Privacy and Data Security: Since India lacks a robust data protection framework, there are genuine concerns about the misuse of personal data as Aadhaar data is not immune to breaches.
  • Exclusion of Marginalized Groups: Mandatory linking will result in the potential disenfranchisement of the marginalized groups, particularly in rural and tribal areas who may not have Aadhaar 
  • Faulty Biometric Systems: The Aadhaar system’s biometric verification is not foolproof and has been known to fail for individuals with worn-out fingerprints or other biometric inconsistencies.
  • Potential for Political Misuse: There are fears that linking Aadhaar with voter IDs could lead to voter profiling and targeted political exploitation, undermining free and fair elections.
  • Administrative & Technological Challenges: Linking Aadhaar cannot address other electoral issues, such as fraud, manipulation, or human errors in the process which requires strict enforcement of laws.

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