Election Commission to Discuss Aadhaar-Voter ID Linking in High-Level Meeting

The meeting aims to address duplicate voter IDs and gather input from political parties on the contentious linkage plan.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has scheduled a meeting on March 18 with top officials, including the Home Secretary and the CEO of the Aadhaar body, to discuss linking voter IDs with Aadhaar.
The linkage aims to tackle the issue of duplicate voter IDs, which has been a long-standing challenge in India's electoral system.
Opposition parties have raised concerns about potential voter manipulation and accused the Election Commission of aligning with the central government’s agenda.
The Election Commission has invited suggestions from national and state political parties by April 30 and plans to train election agents on legal frameworks for the first time in decades.
While the Aadhaar-voter ID linkage is officially voluntary, critics argue the process has created a de facto requirement, prompting legal and political scrutiny.