Voter ID and Aadhaar Linking With a Name Mismatch: Voluntary, Free, and Fixable
Two things are worth knowing before you do anything. Linking is voluntary, and no voter can be removed from the electoral roll for declining. And when a linking request fails, it is almost never about your entitlement to vote: it is an authentication step, so if the name or date of birth on the roll does not match Aadhaar, the request simply will not go through until one of the records is corrected.
Get Call and Name Change Format
How to Fix a Voter ID and Aadhaar Name Mismatch (Quick Answer)
Linking is done on Form 6B, free, through the Voters' Services Portal, the Voter Helpline app, a paper form given to your Booth Level Officer, or a Common Service Centre. It is voluntary: the Supreme Court has held that no voter can be removed from the roll for not providing an Aadhaar number, and your voter ID does not go inoperative the way a PAN does. Because linking is an authentication step, a difference in name or date of birth makes the request fail. Fix the record that is actually wrong first: the electoral roll through Form 8, which is free, or Aadhaar in person at a Seva Kendra, remembering its two-change lifetime limit. Then submit Form 6B once, with the OTP going to the mobile registered with Aadhaar. Your constituency follows your electoral roll address, not your Aadhaar address.
| Form | Form 6B, for collection of the Aadhaar number |
| Is it compulsory? | No. Voluntary, and no voter may be removed from the roll for declining |
| Fee | Nil, by every route |
| Where | voters.eci.gov.in, the Voter Helpline app, a paper form to your BLO, or a CSC; helpline 1950 |
| Verification | OTP to the mobile registered with Aadhaar |
| Purpose | De-duplication; one Aadhaar links to one voter record |
| If you have no Aadhaar | Form 6B allows a declaration and one of a list of alternative documents |
| Why requests fail | A name or date of birth mismatch between the roll and Aadhaar |
| Fixing the roll | Form 8, free, verified by your Booth Level Officer |
| Constituency | Follows your electoral roll address, not your Aadhaar address |
Is Voter ID Aadhaar Linking Compulsory? No, It Is Voluntary
The Election Commission's stated position is that giving your Aadhaar number is voluntary, and the Supreme Court has held that no voter can be removed from the electoral roll for not providing one. This is the opposite of PAN, where the absence of linking makes the card inoperative.
The form itself has been adjusted on this point. After a meeting in March 2025 between the Commission, the government and UIDAI, it was agreed that linking would remain voluntary and that Form 6B would carry a clear opt-out, a third choice allowing a voter to decline with a reason, where the form previously offered only two options.
Why the Commission asks
De-duplication. One Aadhaar can be attached to only one voter record, so linking is how the same person registered in two constituencies gets spotted, something that happens easily when people move without filing a shift of residence.
Compare the Name on Your Voter ID and Aadhaar First
Search the electoral roll for your entry and put it next to your Aadhaar letter. Read both letter by letter, and check the date of birth as well as the name, because a date mismatch fails the request just as reliably as a spelling difference.
The commonest differences are the ones that look trivial: an initial in one record and a full middle name in the other, a surname spelt two ways, or a date of birth entered as 1 January where the true date was never recorded.
Write both out
On paper, one under the other. It takes a minute and it tells you which record is the odd one out, which is the only question that matters next.
Voter ID or Aadhaar: Which Record Should You Correct?
Correct the one that is wrong, and do not assume it is the voter ID. Electoral roll entries were often typed from old lists, but Aadhaar enrolments were also typed by an operator in a hurry. Compare both against the documents you trust most: your birth certificate, board certificates, passport.
- The roll is wrong: Form 8 on the Voters' Services Portal, free
- Aadhaar is wrong: in person at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra, and it uses one of your two lifetime name changes
- Both are wrong: fix Aadhaar first, then bring the roll into line with it
- Your name genuinely changed: gazette first, then Aadhaar, then the roll, then link
The cheaper side
Form 8 costs nothing and an Aadhaar update costs a fee and one of only two lifetime changes. Where either record could reasonably be corrected, the electoral roll is the cheaper one to move.
Correct the Name on Voter ID With Form 8
Open Form 8, correction of entries
On voters.eci.gov.in or the Voter Helpline app. Not shifting, not EPIC replacement.
Tick the fields that are wrong
Your name, the relative's name, the date of birth, or several at once. There is no extra cost for more than one.
Upload the proof and submit
Aadhaar itself works as the supporting document when you are correcting the roll to match it. Save the reference number.
Wait for BLO verification
Commonly two to four weeks. Confirm the corrected entry appears in the roll, not only on the card, before you try linking again.
The full Form 8 guide · Correcting a father's or husband's name.
Correcting Aadhaar Instead: Think Before You Use a Name Change
If Aadhaar is the record that is wrong, it is corrected in person at a Seva Kendra, since a name update is not an online field. It carries a fee, and more importantly it uses one of the two name changes allowed in a lifetime, corrections included.
So think before spending one. If a marriage, a gazette or another change is coming in the next year, deal with everything in a single Aadhaar update rather than correcting a spelling now and the full name later.
How to Submit Form 6B for Voter ID Aadhaar Linking
Log in and open Form 6B
On voters.eci.gov.in with your mobile number, or in the Voter Helpline app. The form is titled for collection of the Aadhaar number.
Confirm your EPIC and the name shown
State, district and constituency fill themselves in. Check the name displayed matches what you expect.
Enter the Aadhaar number, or decline
Where you have no Aadhaar, the form lets you say so and upload one of a list of alternative documents instead. Where you simply do not wish to link, look for the opt-out option.
Verify with the OTP
Sent to the mobile registered with Aadhaar, which is not always the mobile on your voter record. If that number is out of date, update it with UIDAI first.
Save the reference and track
Or hand a paper Form 6B to your Booth Level Officer during a verification visit, which is equally valid.
What Voter ID Aadhaar Linking Does Not Do
It does not move your constituency
Your constituency follows the address in your electoral roll entry, not your Aadhaar address. If you have actually moved, that is a shifting of residence under Form 8, a separate matter.
It does not reveal how you vote
The secret ballot is unaffected. The roll records who is entitled to vote, never how anyone voted.
It does not decide your right to vote
Declining does not remove you from the roll, and the Supreme Court has held that it cannot.
It does not work like PAN linking
There is no inoperative status, no penalty fee, and no blocked transactions. The comparison people draw with PAN does not hold.
Voter ID Aadhaar Linking Mistakes to Avoid
Submitting Form 6B again and again
The result will not change while the two records still differ. Correct one first.
Correcting Aadhaar when the roll was the wrong one
You spend a fee and one of two lifetime changes for nothing. Compare against older documents first.
Trying the OTP on the wrong phone
It goes to the mobile registered with Aadhaar, which may not be your current number.
Ignoring the date of birth
It is compared alongside the name, and fails the request on its own.
Paying someone a government fee
Form 6B is free by every route, including through your BLO.
Assuming you must link
You do not. It is voluntary, and your entry on the roll stands either way.
Voter ID and Aadhaar Linking: Frequently Asked Questions
Is linking Aadhaar with a voter ID compulsory?
No. The Election Commission's position is that it is voluntary, and the Supreme Court has held that no voter can be removed from the electoral roll for not providing an Aadhaar number. Unlike PAN, your voter ID does not become inoperative if you decline, and your right to vote is unaffected.
Then why is it being collected at all?
For de-duplication. One Aadhaar can be linked to only one voter record, so linking helps the Commission find the same person registered in two constituencies, which happens easily when people move without filing a shift. That is the stated purpose.
Can I decline?
Yes. Following a meeting in March 2025 between the Commission, the government and UIDAI, it was agreed that linking would remain voluntary and that Form 6B would carry a clear opt-out, a third choice to decline with a reason, where the form previously offered only two options. Check the current version of the form for the option as it stands.
How do I link them?
Form 6B, free, on the Voters' Services Portal or the Voter Helpline app. Log in, open Form 6B, confirm your EPIC number and the name shown, enter your Aadhaar number, and verify with the OTP sent to the mobile registered with Aadhaar. You can also give a paper Form 6B to your Booth Level Officer, or use a Common Service Centre.
Why does my linking request fail?
Almost always a mismatch. Linking is an authentication step, so if the name or date of birth on the electoral roll does not agree with Aadhaar, the request fails or gets flagged. Nothing is wrong with your entitlement to vote; the two records simply do not match.
Which record should I correct?
Whichever one is wrong. If the electoral roll has it wrong, file Form 8 on the Voters' Services Portal, which is free. If Aadhaar has it wrong, update Aadhaar at a Seva Kendra, remembering that Aadhaar allows only two name changes in a lifetime. Compare both against your older documents before deciding.
I have no Aadhaar. Can I still respond?
Yes. Form 6B allows you to state that you cannot furnish an Aadhaar number, and to submit one of a list of alternative documents instead, which includes things like a utility bill for the address and board certificates showing a date of birth. The exact list is on the form.
Will my constituency change to my Aadhaar address?
No. Your constituency follows the address in your electoral roll entry, not the address on your Aadhaar. If you have actually moved, that is a shifting of residence under Form 8, and a separate matter from linking.
Can I unlink later?
Reports of the process describe delinking as possible by approaching your Electoral Registration Officer. Since practice here varies, ask your ERO or the helpline rather than relying on any website, including this one.
Is there a deadline?
The linking drive has been described as ongoing rather than having a fixed final deadline, with the Commission encouraging voters to link at their convenience. Deadlines have been announced and extended before, so check eci.gov.in for the current position.
Does linking let anyone see how I voted?
No. Linking is an identity and de-duplication measure. The secret ballot is unaffected, and the electoral roll records who is entitled to vote, never how anyone voted.
Does it cost anything?
No. Form 6B is free through every route: the portal, the app, a Booth Level Officer, or the helpline on 1950. Nobody should charge you a government fee for it.
Official Sources for Voter ID Aadhaar Linking
Voters' Services Portal
voters.eci.gov.in: Form 6B, Form 8, electoral roll search and Know Your BLO.
Election Commission of India
eci.gov.in: the current position on linking, the forms themselves, and helpline 1950.
UIDAI
uidai.gov.in: Aadhaar corrections, the Seva Kendra locator, and updating your registered mobile.
Voter ID and Electoral Roll in West Bengal: The Complete Series
Form 8 itself, a relative’s name, Aadhaar linking, an entry that is missing or wrong, and the surname change after marriage.
Voter ID Name Change
Form 8, free, and the four different jobs it does.
Read →Father’s or Husband’s Name
One field, three relations, and how to switch it.
Read →Name Missing or Wrong in the Roll
Form 6 or Form 8, the hearing, and the appeal ladder.
Read →Voter ID After Marriage
Surname and shifting of residence, in the same form.
Read →Get Call and Name Change Format
Send Both Names. We Will Tell You Which Record to Fix
Photograph your voter entry and your Aadhaar. Usually the answer is a free Form 8 you can file yourself, and we will say so. If a real name change sits behind it, we prepare the gazette and give you the order to follow. Monday to Saturday.