India’s Election Commission (EC) is advancing its initiative to link Aadhaar numbers with voter identity cards (EPICs), with a high-level meeting scheduled for March 18, 2025, to address implementation challenges and intensify efforts. The development follows the EC’s recent introduction of electronic Electoral Photo Identity Cards (e-EPIC) aimed at modernizing India’s electoral identification system.
The legal framework for this initiative was established through the Election Laws (Amendment) Act of 2021, which modified Section 23 of the Representation of the People Act 1950. The amendment authorized electoral registration officers to request Aadhaar numbers from both new and existing voters for identity verification purposes. The integration uses the same biometric verification infrastructure that has been successfully deployed across various government services and private sector applications.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will chair the upcoming meeting, which will include senior officials from the Union Home Ministry, the Legislative Department, and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). The primary objective is to eliminate duplicate voter registrations, which has been a persistent challenge in India’s electoral management. UIDAI’s expertise in biometric deduplication, demonstrated through the successful implementation of face-based authentication for Aadhaar, will be crucial for this initiative.
As of January 2025, India has over 99 crore registered electors, with 66.23 crore electors’ Aadhaar numbers already collected. While the linking process remains voluntary following a Supreme Court ruling, the EC plans to implement software updates to facilitate the detection of duplicate registrations. The approach is part of India’s broader digital identity strategy, which includes the recent enhancement of the Central KYC Registry with AI-powered verification features.
The initiative has faced opposition from various political parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has raised concerns about voter list manipulation and duplicate EPIC numbers. The Election Commission has acknowledged some discrepancies in EPIC number issuance and announced plans to resolve these issues within three months. The EC clarified that identical EPIC numbers do not necessarily indicate fraudulent registrations, as other identifying details such as demographic information and polling booth assignments remain distinct.
The Commission plans to begin the de-duplication process using updated software and will issue new EPIC cards to replace duplicate ones in states not currently conducting elections. The technological enhancement aims to strengthen the integrity of India’s electoral rolls while maintaining compliance with legal requirements and court directives. The initiative represents a significant step in India’s ongoing efforts to leverage digital identity solutions for improved governance and service delivery.
Sources: Hindustan Times, The Asian Age, The Indian Express
Follow Us