Election Commission May Require Voters to Justify Refusal to Link Aadhaar with Voter ID
Proposed changes to voter registration forms could make Aadhaar submission effectively mandatory, raising concerns about privacy and disenfranchisement.
- The Election Commission of India (ECI) is advancing its Aadhaar-Voter ID linkage initiative with proposed amendments to Form 6B for electoral roll updates.
- Voters declining to provide Aadhaar may need to appear before Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to explain their reasons, according to reports.
- While the ECI assures the Supreme Court that Aadhaar submission is voluntary, critics argue the process risks becoming mandatory through procedural requirements.
- The initiative, aimed at addressing duplicate voter registrations, has raised concerns about potential voter disenfranchisement and privacy violations.
- The proposed changes are expected to be finalized before the Bihar Assembly elections, with technical consultations ongoing between the ECI and UIDAI.
Hindustan Times 
