GUWAHATI, March 21: Since citizens in Assam have no voter's photo identity cards, the Election Commission (EC) of India has decided to provide them voter's slips in their houses before the ensuing Assembly elections in the State. The slips will be issued either bythe Returning Officers (ROs) or the booth-level officers (BLOs). The voter's slips, according to sources in the EC, can be treated as an alternative voter's identification. In the absence of voters photo identity cards in Assam, the voters in the State have to produce any of 13 other documents in support of their identity. However, with this decision of the EC, the voters of the State will not have to produce any of those 13 documents while casting their votes. They only need to produce the voter's slips at the time of casting their votes. The voter's slips, according to EC sources, will have columns meant for voters' names, serial numbers, and poll centres and dates. The voter's slips will not have any photographs ofvoters pasted on them. Meanwhile, the EC has directed the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) that besides the Central police forces, adequate number of State police personnel should be deployed in strongrooms. The EC has also directed the CEO to see that video cameras and closed-circuit TVs (CCTVs) are installed outside the strongrooms. Twenty-one general observers and 25 expenditure observers of the first phase of the Assembly polls have reported to the commission, while theobservers of the second phase of polls are on their way to the State. According to sources in the EC, all observers of the phase-II of polls will reach the State by March 26 when scrutiny of the nomination papers willbe done. (Sentinelassam)
EC to provide voter’s slips to Assam voters
