The Election Commission is under intense pressure over the growing controversy surrounding duplicate and fake voter cards. This issue, which was first raised by Mamata Banerjee, has rapidly become a point of contention among opposition parties. As the situation escalates, the Election Commission has been forced to hold an urgent meeting on March 18, with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Law Ministry, and the UIDAI (Aadhaar authority) in attendance. The central question now is whether linking Aadhaar numbers to voter ID cards, which was previously voluntary, will soon become mandatory.

The meeting will focus on addressing the increasing concerns over fake voters, and there is speculation that the government may take steps to make Aadhaar-Voter ID linkage compulsory. This issue stems from an ongoing effort to clean up the voter lists and eliminate duplicate or fraudulent entries. While the Election Commission had previously called for voter identification through Aadhaar as optional, the lack of progress has led to growing calls for a mandatory system. The decision to involve multiple ministries in the meeting indicates the seriousness of the matter and the need for a comprehensive solution to address the mounting pressure.