Confusing IDs weakens India’s electoral system integrity

Source: The post Confusing IDs weakens India’s electoral system integrity has been created, based on the article “Clean voter lists or the choice of Aadhaar linkage” published in “The Hindu” on 8 April 2025. Confusing IDs weakens India’s electoral system integrity.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper2-Polity- powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.

Context: In its March 20, 2025 issue, The Economist criticized India’s obsession with issuing identity (ID) cards for different groups like teachers, doctors, athletes, gig workers, and even cattle. However, the real issue is not the number of IDs, but India’s confusion between simple IDs and Unique IDs. This confusion, especially by the Election Commission of India (ECI), has led to serious problems in the electoral system.

For detailed information on India’s electoral process faces transparency and trust issues read this article here

Difference Between an ID and a Unique ID

1. An ID confirms someone’s eligibility for a specific function (e.g., voting or driving).
2. A Unique ID confirms a person’s identity across all functions, ensuring the person is who they claim to be.
3. India often mixes these two, which causes governance and electoral issues.

ECI’s Misjudgment and the 2008 Claim

1. In 2008, the ECI claimed each Voter ID (EPIC) was unique and used it to identify voters.
2. But in 2025, the ECI decided to link Voter ID with Aadhaar, showing its own admission that Voter ID was never truly unique.
3. During the 2024 Maharashtra elections, 40 lakh new voters were registered in just five months, compared to only 32 lakh in the previous five years.
4. This unusual rise suggests large-scale duplicate or fake voter registration.
5. In Bengal, the same Voter ID number appeared in multiple constituencies and states, showing both duplication and identity mismatch.
6. These facts prove that one person had many Voter IDs, and one ID was shared by multiple people, proving the 2008 claim was misleading.

Challenges in Linking Aadhaar with Voter ID

1. Legal Barrier: Aadhaar is optional by law, so making it mandatory for voting is legally complex.
2. Coverage Requirement: Aadhaar linking must be done for 100% of voters. Partial linkage won’t stop duplication.
3. Implementation Risk: Incomplete linkage can lead to exclusion of genuine voters or retention of duplicate entries, weakening the electoral process.
4. Data Evidence: The Maharashtra example clearly shows how fake voters can enter the system if identification isn’t foolproof.

Positive Impacts of Aadhaar Linkage

1. Duplicate Voting: Aadhaar can use biometric verification to ensure one person doesn’t hold multiple Voter IDs.
2. Multiple Voting: It can stop people from voting multiple times by replacing the outdated indelible ink system, which is often bypassed using chemicals.

Essential Safeguards Needed

1. The ECI must provide a legal and public guarantee under oath that no eligible citizen will be denied their right to vote.
2. This is critical to avoid repeat mistakes, like the false claim in 2008 about the uniqueness of Voter IDs.
3. The solution must be all-inclusive, transparent, and fair.

Question for practice:

Discuss how the confusion between IDs and Unique IDs has affected the integrity of India’s electoral system, with reference to the role of the Election Commission and the Aadhaar linkage.