Will voter ID cards now be linked to Aadhaar? The contentious question has been brought back to centerstage with BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav’s tweet, where he talked about how he ‘heard’ that the Election Commission had linked Aadhaar to the voters’ list in Adilabad district in Telangana, and had ‘successfully identified’ 50,000 duplications.
This is not the first time that there has been discussion of the 12-digit unique identification number being linked to voter IDs. Earlier, in July 2017, the Election Commission had filed a petition in the Supreme Court asking the apex court for access to the Aadhaar database to link it to the voter identity card.
So, what’s the truth?
In Telangana, No Word on Linking Aadhaar to Voter IDs Since 2015
Sources in the State Election Commission told The Quint that currently no one in the administration is linking Aadhaar to voter IDs and that the process to do so was stopped in August 2015.
While an intensive door-to-door verification of voters is underway, Aadhaar numbers are not being linked to voter IDs – either on a trial basis or otherwise.
What about the numbers stated by Ram Madhav in his tweet?
Qualifying his statement as hearsay, Madhav says that 50,000 ‘duplications’ were identified in the Assembly district of Adilabad in Telangana. However, it has been learnt from within the state Election Commission, that they don’t have any data which could give rise to such a conclusion.
Aadhaar and Voter IDs: The Story Till Now
In the past, the Election Commission of India has been in support of linking Aadhaar to voter ID. Why? To reduce duplication and errors in electoral rolls.
In February 2015, it issued guidelines for linking voter ID with Aadhaar as part of the National Electoral Rolls Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP). However, it faced opposition from activists and civil society groups for three reasons. One, the danger that voters without an Aadhaar would be struck off the electoral rolls. Two, that Aadhaar may replace the voter ID card. And three, the potential misuse of the Aadhaar database.
In August 2015, the Supreme Court ordered that Aadhaar card cannot be used for any other purpose other than the PDS – including linking voter IDs. By then, the EC had collected the Aadhaar details of 31 crore voters, reports India Today.
However, the Election Commission of India filed an application in the Supreme Court in 2017 asking for permission to seed Aadhaar with its voter database. While a verdict on the case is awaited, in a reply in the Lok Sabha, PP Chaudhary, MoS for Electronics and Information Technology, reiterated the EC’s position, reports News 18.com. He said,
Based on the outcome of the case, the Election Commission will consider the proposal of linking Aadhar number for various electoral services, at an appropriate time.
In this context, is BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav’s tweet an indication of future shifts in policy on Aadhaar?
(Breathe In, Breathe Out: Are you finding it tough to breathe polluted air? Join hands with FIT to find #PollutionKaSolution. Send in your suggestions to fit@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)