The Election Commission of India “will consider” linking the Aadhar number of Voters with their voter ID cards, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology told Parliament.

“Based on the outcome of the case, the Election Commission will consider the proposal of linking Aadhar number for various electoral services, at an appropriate time,” P.P. Chaudhary, Mos, told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. The case in question pertains to an application filed by the ECI in the Supreme Court in July 2017 asking the apex court to obtain the Aadhar details from voters in order to link it to the voter database.

In 2015 the ECI had launched a programme called National Electoral Roll Purification & Authentication Programme (NERPAP) to link Aadhar numbers to the electoral database. However, when the collection and seeding were in “full swing” the SC passed an interim order stating that: “The unique identification number or the Aadhaar card will not be used by the respondents for any purpose other than the PDS scheme and in particular for the purpose of distribution of foodgrains, etc. and cooking fuel such as kerosene.”

New Delhi : The Election Commission of India to Consider Linking Aadhar With Voter ID Cards Once SC Passes Order.

Since the ECI was one of the respondents in the matter it had to stop seeding Aadhar numbers in its database. However, as the Minister indicated, based on the order passed by the SC, the ECI will consider the proposal.