Context:

Recently, the Election Commission (EC) has scheduled a meeting with the Union Home Ministry, Law Ministry and Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for linking EPIC with Aadhaar.

More on the News

• The Election Commission is linking Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) with Aadhaar as part of its continuing efforts to eliminate bogus voters.
• Recently, Trinamool Congress has also raised the issue of electors in West Bengal and other states having the same EPIC number.

Background

In 2021, an amendment was made to the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The amendment enabled the linking of Aadhaar with the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC).

• The Election Commission (EC) began collecting Aadhaar numbers from electors on a voluntary basis.

However, the Aadhaar and EPIC databases have not yet been linked because Aadhaar's linking with EPIC was not made mandatory.

Electors' Photo Identity Card (EPIC)

The Voter ID card, also known as an Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC), is a 10-digit alpha-numeric voter ID card number/EPIC number issued by the EC to each voter. 

• The EPIC number signifies that voter identification information is digitally stored in a coloured photo identity format.

It was introduced nationwide in 1993, under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, to prevent voter impersonation in elections.

It is assigned via the ERONET digital platform when a new voter registers, after which it is linked to State and constituency data to ensure regional uniqueness.

• ERONET is a web-based platform that was developed for election officials to handle all processes pertaining to the registration, migration, and deletion of names from electoral rolls.

In 2021, the Election Commission launched the Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card (E-EPIC), which is a non-editable, secure PDF version of the voter identity card that can be digitally stored.

A replacement EPIC can be issued to an elector, along with a copy of the FIR/Police Report.

Election commission

• The Commission is a constitutional body established in 1950 by the Constitution of India.
• The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies in India, and the offices of the President and Vice President in the country.
• Originally, the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner. It currently consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.
• The President appoints the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.