Electoral Roll and Aadhaar: Impacts on Democracy

On March 18, 2025, the Election Commission of India announced that its officials will hold talks with UIDAI experts for linking the Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) with Aadhaar. 

This linking is supposed to be voluntary, but there is some confusion as to whether the voter will really have any choice in the matter. 

There are also concerns that linking EPIC with Aadhaar could lead to voter profiling, selective disenfranchisement, targeted campaigns, data privacy violations, and possibly undermine the autonomy of the Election Commission. Are these concerns valid or are they overblown?

Guest: Usha Ramanathan, human rights activist who has worked extensively on Aadhaar-related exclusions and rights violations. 

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.