The Election Commission of India is preparing to pitch for the mandatory, legally backed, linking of voter IDs with the Aadhaar number, ET has learnt.
The commission will propose amendments to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, that will require citizens to link their Electoral Photo ID Card (EPIC) with the 12-digit Aadhaar, while ensuring privacy protection, said people with knowledge of the matter.
The commission feels it’s on strong ground as almost all parties supported the idea of Aadhaar linkage at a meeting in August. Aadhaar linkage and voter authentication are also considered critical to the commission’s plans to implement advanced mechanisms such as electronic and internet-based voting.