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Mar 24, 2023

Experts Weigh In as Union Govt Extends Deadline to 'Voluntarily' Link Aadhaar and Voter ID

'We have seen in scheme after scheme that 'voluntary' Aadhaar-linking ended up reducing the number of beneficiaries as the government claimed that those who didn't link it were either 'ghosts', when in fact they were very much alive,' says professor Reetika Khera.
Illustration: The Wire

New Delhi: Experts are divided on the Union government’s move to yet again extend the deadline for linking one’s Aadhaar number and voter identity to March 31, 2024 from April 1, 2023. A notification to this effect was issued Tuesday, March 21.

The Union law ministry had on June 17, 2022 notified April 1, 2023 as the “date on or before which every person whose name is included in the electoral roll may intimate his Aadhaar number in accordance with the said section”. 

The law mentions that the linking is not mandatory but voluntary. Thus the question of a deadline in the matter has been debated upon.

IIT Delhi Professor Reetika Khera, author of the book Dissent on Aadhaar: Big Data Meets Big Brother says the word ‘voluntary’ eventually means ‘compulsory’.

Also read: ‘Dangerous Move’: Over 500 Individuals, Orgs Decry EC Proposal to Link Aadhaar, Voter ID

We have seen in scheme after scheme that ‘voluntary’ Aadhaar-linking ended up reducing the number of beneficiaries as the government claimed that those who didn’t link it were either ‘ghosts’, when in fact they were very much alive. In the same way, I fear that voters names may get struck off the electoral list if they don’t link their IDs with Aadhaar. Voters may only realise this when they go to vote, by which time it will be too late,” says Khera.

“If the rationale is to de-duplicate, then with a ‘voluntary’ campaign, you will never get full coverage and unless the coverage is complete, the objective will not be achieved,” she adds. 

Former Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat, however, says linking Aadhaar with voter ID cards could benefit people.

“The law says it is a voluntary exercise and the Supreme Court judgement also says this is voluntary. However, if the two are linked it will provide services, especially to migrant workers or NRIs, etc. because they will be able to vote remotely. Arguments of disenfranchisement are a bogey because there is a clear cut procedure for registering or de-registering a voter. But those who do not want any facility need not link the two,” he says.

Also read: Why the Proposal to Have Remote Voting Machines Could Be Concealing More Than It Reveals

Users have reported an inability to make corrections to the voter ID details without first linking it with their Aadhaar number.

“I tried to correct my father’s name which was wrongly spelt. After trying thrice and ignoring the prompts to link with Aadhaar, I simply gave in. Once the linking was done, the changes I wanted could be done easily. I can’t say for sure, but I do feel that this was the reason,” says a user, not wishing to be identified.

The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, amending the Representation of the People Act of 1950 and 1951, allows for the Aadhaar number to be used for authentication of entries. However, a person will not be denied inclusion or have her name deleted from the roll for want of an Aadhaar number, the law says. 

The matter of whether Aadhaar data can be made the basis for deleting or updating electoral rolls is pending before the Supreme Court. Senior lawyer Shyam Divan had argued that the Aadhaar number can only be used for providing benefits to citizens and cannot be insisted upon for exercising one’s franchise.

The Election Commission had on August 1, 2022 launched what it called a voluntary drive under the amended law to collect Aadhaar numbers. As per the Indian Express, the EC had, by December 15, 2022, collected 54.32 crore Aadhaar numbers. There are 95 crore registered voters in the country as of January 1. 

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