AADHAAR-VOTER ID LINKAGE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: Though linking your Aadhaar with your voter ID is optional, a recent petition in the Supreme Court has brought attention to the lack of clarity in the forms for registering electors regarding this choice.

Aadhaar Linking by the EC

• About: The Election Commission of India initiated the process of linking Aadhaar with Voter IDs on February 15, 2015, under then-Chief Election Commissioner H S Brahma's announcement.
• Suspension of Aadhaar Linking Drive: The drive to link Aadhaar with the electoral roll was suspended after the Supreme Court's ruling on August 11, 2015, restricting Aadhaar's usage to specific government schemes.
• EC's Proposal for Aadhaar Linking: In 2019, the EC proposed to link Aadhaar with the electoral roll once again, urging the government to amend election laws for Aadhaar collection.
• Government's Response and Legislation: The government responded with the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, passed in December 2021, facilitating Aadhaar and Voter ID linking.
• Resumption of Aadhaar Collection: Following the Act's enactment, the EC reintroduced the collection of Aadhaar numbers from July 2022, offering it on a voluntary basis through Form 6B and amended registration forms.

Significances of this Linkage

• Universal Coverage: At the end of 2021, 99.7% of the adult Indian population possessed an Aadhaar card, surpassing the coverage of other official documents like driver’s licenses, ration cards, and PAN cards, which are typically sought for specific purposes.
• Reliable & Cost-Effective: Aadhaar's biometric authentication feature enhances reliability, making Aadhaar-based verification faster and more cost-efficient compared to other identification methods, thereby streamlining various processes.