Recent controversies over alleged malpractices in the electoral rolls have renewed demands for the mandatory linkage of Aadhaar with Voter ID. What is your opinion? Give reasons in support of your opinion.

Electoral democracy is key to uphold the principles of participatory governance. Hence, first & fair elections are sine qua non. Need of linking Aadhaar & Voter ID: (1) to remove any fraud voters, or DKs/double (2) allegations of Bangladeshi nationals getting voter ID in Assam (3) curb the fear of demographic change (4) injuries – changes in demography post 1971 Bletch Liberation War (5) make democracy – free & fair (6) only authentic votes be counted (4) Reduce the role of communal politics

bring electoral reforms – can provide some voter parity voting, NRI voting etc. Challenges of linking: (1) SC in Aadhaar judgment – said Aadhaar is not mandatory beyond social services (2) Aadhaar is not universal still – too many individuals still without it (3) some regions have Aadhaar card given in excess of population (4) Alleged cases of Aadhaar in the names of film personalities (5) Voter ID revision can resolve the problem (6) Herrarchian faut of linking Aadhaar – any exclusion could disenfranchise a section out of electoral democracy (7) Issues of database management – privacy & data security