Voter ID-Aadhar linking: Government explains why it is needed

Streamlining of electoral rolls and curbing the menace of multiple enrollment are some of the reasons behind linking of voter cards with the Aadhar.

"The reasons behind linking Voter IDs with Aadhaar numbers are, streamlining of electoral rolls and the process of registration of migrated voters without duplication in electoral rolls and curbing the menace of multiple enrollment of the same persons in different places. 

Accordingly, the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 has been enacted to provide for the linking of electoral roll data with Aadhaar number," said Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju on Friday in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The Election Commission of India has informed that the Commission will link Aadhaar number with entry in electoral roll in accordance with the extant Standard Operating Procedure prescribed by the Unique Identification Authority of India without any access to Aadhaar database, said the reply.

Election Commission said it has taken multiple measures for the security and safety of the electoral roll data platform. At the application level, various protocols like two-factor authentication, encryption (SHA512), algorithm communication only through https protocol and frequent security audit of applications are ensured.

"Electoral roll database system does not enter into the Aadhaar ecosystem and the system is only used for the authentication purpose keeping a tight air gap between the two systems. At the infrastructure level, the servers are protected through multi-level security through the access control system, firewall, IPS and anti-virus. 

The raw data has been prohibited to be made available or shared or transferred or distributed to any other person. The Commission also made cyber security regulations with a stringent non-disclosure agreement. These measures effectively prevent theft interception and hijacking of the voter system," said the ministry while mentioning the initiatives for data protection.