Aadhaar voter ID link threatens free and fair elections

Source: The post Aadhaar voter ID link threatens free and fair elections has been created, based on the article “A move that endangers the right to vote” published in “The Hindu” on 23 April 2025. Aadhaar voter ID link threatens free and fair elections.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper2- Polity

Context: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is pushing for Aadhaar-voter ID linkage, claiming it will clean electoral rolls and prevent fraud. However, past experience shows this move leads to mass voter exclusions, privacy violations, and undermines the right to vote.

For detailed information on Linking of Aadhaar with Voter IDs read this article here

Flawed Justifications for Aadhaar-Voter ID Linkage

1. Voluntary in Name Only: Form 6B, which claims the process is voluntary, offers no real opt-out. Citizens must submit Aadhaar or declare they don’t have one. This coerces participation. By September 2023, over 66 crore Aadhaar numbers were already linked.
2. Questionable Data Practices: Data from other departments and the National Population Register has been repurposed without consent. The DBT Seeding Data Viewer allows third parties to access sensitive identity data, raising serious privacy concerns.
3. Rollback of Legal Commitment: In G. Niranjan v. ECI (2023), the ECI assured the Supreme Court that Aadhaar linkage was not mandatory. But the latest proposal contradicts that assurance by forcing non-Aadhaar holders to justify themselves in person.

Barriers to Universal and Equal Suffrage

1. Unfair Burdens on Marginalised Groups: People without Aadhaar—such as the elderly, disabled, migrant workers, and those in remote areas—must appear physically before officers. This is neither reasonable nor practical. It diminishes dignity and democratic trust.
2. No Clear Appeal Process: If a person’s justification for not linking Aadhaar is rejected, they have no easy way to appeal. This violates the Supreme Court’s 1995 ruling in Lal Babu Hussein, which mandates fairness in voter roll deletions.

Aadhaar Is Not Proof of Citizenship

1. Legal Inconsistencies: The Aadhaar Act, 2016, says Aadhaar is based on residency, not citizenship. Even non-citizens living in India for 182 days can get Aadhaar. UIDAI and multiple High Courts confirm that Aadhaar does not prove Indian citizenship.
2. Constitutional Restrictions on Aadhaar Use: In Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2018), the Supreme Court limited Aadhaar use to welfare schemes under Section 7 of the Act. Voter ID linkage falls outside this scope.

Risk of Disenfranchisement and Electoral Damage

1. Past Failures Are Well-Documented: In 2015, ECI’s Aadhaar seeding under the National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme led to 55 lakh wrongful deletions in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Voters found out on polling day. The Supreme Court stayed the programme.
2. Aadhaar Database Is Unreliable: The CAG’s 2022 report flagged serious flaws—4.75 lakh Aadhaar numbers were cancelled due to duplication and faulty biometrics. UIDAI lacks a process to verify whether Aadhaar holders actually meet the residency criteria.

Threats to Voter Privacy and Surveillance

1. Risk of Political Profiling: The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, gives wide exemptions to government bodies. Once Aadhaar is linked to voter IDs, parties can cross-reference databases to target voters or manipulate rolls.
2. Undermining Institutional Independence: ECI is a constitutional body, while UIDAI is a government-controlled agency. Sharing electoral data with UIDAI undermines electoral independence and violates the constitutional principle of free and fair elections.

Better Alternatives for Voter Verification

Traditional and Effective Methods
Instead of invasive data practices, the ECI should use proven systems:

• Door-to-door checks by booth-level officers
• Independent audits of electoral rolls
• Strong public grievance mechanisms
• Social audits to ensure transparency and prevent manipulation

Conclusion

The Aadhaar-voter ID linkage harms democracy. It leads to mass exclusions, violates privacy, and allows political misuse. Reliable, inclusive, and constitutionally sound alternatives already exist. The ECI must abandon this flawed scheme.

Question for practice:

Evaluate the impact of Aadhaar-voter ID linkage on electoral integrity, voter rights, and constitutional safeguards in India.