Voter Integrity: EC Addresses Aadhaar Voluntary Sharing Concerns

The Election Commission in India maintains that Aadhaar sharing by voters is voluntary and will remain unchanged, despite ongoing efforts to clean up electoral rolls. No modifications to the law are planned, and technical consultations with UIDAI will focus on voter list integrity without mandatory Aadhaar linkage.

Amid efforts to cleanse electoral rolls of duplicate entries, the Indian government confirmed that sharing Aadhaar information remains voluntary for voters, as dictated by current law.

The government stressed that, under the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, Aadhaar submission is not mandatory and will not become so in the foreseeable future.

While debates about electoral purity continue, the Election Commission is collaborating with authorities to regularly update voter lists and plans to consult the Unique Identification Authority of India on linking Aadhaar details, but without making it compulsory.

(With inputs from agencies.)