In a move to increase election transparency, the Election Commission is accelerating efforts to link Voter IDs with Aadhaar cards, similar to the process of linking PAN cards. This initiative is aimed at ensuring that voter lists are free from fake and duplicate entries, providing a clearer and more reliable electoral process.

Next week, a crucial meeting will be held with top officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Law, and the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), who will discuss this proposal. The linking of Voter IDs with Aadhaar is expected to address the issue of duplicate voter registrations and ensure a cleaner voter list. The Election Commission began collecting Aadhaar numbers from voters voluntarily after an amendment to the Representation of the People Act in 2021. However, linking Aadhaar with the voter database has not been made mandatory yet.

Recently, the Election Commission acknowledged issues with duplicate EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Cards) numbers in some states. The Commission has assured that new EPIC numbers will be issued within the next three months to those affected. Despite these issues, the Commission clarified that the presence of duplicate EPIC numbers does not necessarily imply voter fraud, as voters can only vote in the constituency where they are registered.