GS Paper II – Polity & Governance

Introduction:

🧠 Core Argument

• The article questions the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) plan to link Voter ID with Aadhaar.
  
  
• It emphasizes that Aadhaar (a unique ID) is fundamentally different from Voter ID (a functional ID).
  
  
• The author warns against conflating unique IDs with functional IDs, as doing so leads to administrative confusion and potential disenfranchisement.
  
  

🔍 Issue with Voter List Surges

• In Maharashtra, the voter base increased by 32 lakh in 5 months, raising suspicions about authenticity.
  
  
• A similar trend was seen in previous elections—sudden surges in voter registration shortly before elections.
  
  
• This points to a pattern of voter list duplication or fraud.
  
  

📌 Historical Context

• In 2008, the ECI introduced the EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Card) system under Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami.
  
  
• The goal was to issue unique voter IDs, but it failed to ensure uniqueness, as voters could still have multiple registrations.
  
  
• Recently, ECI admitted that EPIC is not unique, and proposed linking it with Aadhaar to solve this.
  
  

❗ Problems with Aadhaar Linkage

• Linking voter lists with Aadhaar:
  
  
  • Doesn’t guarantee uniqueness.
    
    
  • Can exclude legitimate voters (since Aadhaar is not a proof of citizenship).
    
    
  • Is not foolproof—only 10% of voter lists were de-duplicated using Aadhaar.
    
    
  • May lead to undemocratic consequences if not done with 100% accuracy.
    
    

⚖️ Ambedkar’s Caution

• Refers to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s stance in the Constituent Assembly, warning that sanctity of voter lists is crucial to democracy.
  
  
• He likely would have supported a utilitarian approach to cleansing voter lists, but not at the cost of exclusion.
  
  

✅ What Should Be Done

• India needs a clean, de-duplicated voter list, but:
  
  
  • This requires more than Aadhaar.
    
    
  • Aadhaar is not a sufficient condition for voter eligibility—it proves identity, not citizenship.
    
    
• Clean-up efforts must:
  
  
  • Be scientific and transparent.
    
    
  • Involve technological improvements.
    
    
  • Ensure inclusion, not exclusion.
    
    

🧾 Conclusion

• Aadhaar may be necessary but not sufficient for cleaning voter lists.
  
  
• The goal should be to ensure every eligible Indian can vote once and only once, without risking disenfranchisement.
  
  

India’s democracy requires clean voter lists, but not at the cost of fairness or inclusion.