Aadhaar, voter IDs to be linked as per law, SC's directions: EC
The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday said that linking Aadhaar numbers with voter ID cards will be carried out strictly in accordance with the law and the Supreme Court’s directions. The poll body clarified that the process would be entirely voluntary and guided by constitutional provisions and statutory safeguards.
The decision was announced after the poll panel held a high-level meeting with home secretary, IT secretary and the secretary of legislative wing of the law ministry as well as the CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to discuss the Aadhaar-voter ID seeding exercise.
The EC announced later in a press statement that technical consultations between UIDAI and its in-house experts would begin soon to chart the way forward for the exercise.
The poll body underlined that voter card-Aadhaar linking would proceed in line with Article 326 of the Constitution, which ensures voting rights only for Indian citizens, Sections 23(4), 23(5), and 23(6) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Supreme Court’s 2023 judgment on Aadhaar.
The poll panel further reiterated that the law allows voluntary seeding of Aadhaar with voter rolls.
The government has informed Parliament that no target or timeline has been fixed for the process. Importantly, names of voters who choose not to link Aadhaar will not be removed from the electoral rolls.
