Fact Check: Is it mandatory to link Voter ID and Aadhaar

A message has gone viral with the claim that the government has now made it mandatory to link your Voter ID and Aadhaar

New Delhi, Feb 10: A message has gone viral claiming that it is now mandatory to link Voter ID and Aadhaar as per the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2020.

The message reads, 'yes according to the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, it is now mandatory to link Voter ID and Aadhaar. Do it now; Download the Voter Helpline App by Election Commission or dial the Voter Helpline no. 1950" reads the message. With the message, two links have been shared with the claim that the Voter ID and Aadhaar can be linked here.

The PIB's Fact Check has however debunked this message. It said that this is fake news.

"It is being claimed that as per the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, it is now " to link Voter ID & Aadhaar. This claim is fake", PIB Fact Check said.

In December Union Law Minister Karen Rijiju had said that those who have not linked their Voter IDs with Aadhaar will not be taken off the electoral rolls.

While answering questions from three Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the minister said that the process of linking Aadhaar with Voter ID is voluntary and the voter has to consent to do the same.

The Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, allows Electoral Registration Officers to require the voter to provide their Aadhaar number, but this is voluntary he had said.

He further added that the Election Commission of India had launched the programme to collect the Aadhaar number the electors from August 1 2022, in all States and Union Territories.

It may be noted here that there is no provision to withdraw consent after the linking process has been done.

"It is voluntary to link Aadhaar with Voter ID and consent is obtained from the elector for Aadhaar authentication in Form 6B. There is no provision for withdrawing the consent," the minister also explained.

He further said that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act 2016, and the regulations made thereunder, has made it compulsory for the centralised storage of all Aadhaar numbers in a different repository known as the 'Aadhar Data. Vault.'

This would mean that the ECI follows the guidelines prescribed by the UIDAI and does not store the Aadhaar numbers in its database, "The Aadhaar number is used only for authentication purposes and ECI does not retrieve any personal information from the UIDAI Aadhaar database," Rijiju said.

This makes it clear that there has been no rule which has been formed which makes linking of your Voter ID and Aadhaar mandatory. It is optional, but once done cannot be undone.