Despite clarifications from various government authorities that the linking of Aadhaar with the voter identity card is “voluntary”, there have been instances of people being warned by booth-level officers that their voter ID would be cancelled if it is not linked to their Aadhaar number.
In one such case, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), which advocates digital rights and privacy, in a tweet, alleged that a booth-level officer called one of its staff members seeking the Aadhaar number "or else they'll be deleted from the electoral roll".
The contentious Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which allows for the linking of electoral data with the Aadhaar number, was passed by Parliament in December 2021, amid strong protests by the Opposition.
