After taking into account all relevant factors and the legal and factual position, the Election Commission of India has directed on Saturday that for current general election to the State Legislative Assemblies of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura, all electors who have been issued Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) shall produce their EPICs for their identification at the polling stations before casting their votes.
The Election Commission in an order on August 28, 1993, under Rule 28 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 directed the issue of EPIC to all electors within a time-frame. In addition the Commission has directed that ‘Authenticated Photo Voters Slips’ shall be distributed by the election authorities to the electors before the date of poll for the current general elections. It said EPICs have been issued to a substantially large number of electors.
Those electors who are not able to produce the EPIC shall have to produce one of the following alternative photo identity documents for establishing their identity. These include passport, driving license, service identity cards with photograph issued to employees by Central/State Government PSUs/public limited companies, passbooks with photograph issued by bank/post office, PAN card, smart card issued by RGI under NPR, MNREGA job card, health insurance smart card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour, pension document with photograph, authenticated Photo Voter Slip issued by the election machinery, official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs and Aadhaar card.
In the case of EPIC, clerical errors, spelling mistakes should be ignored provided the identity of the elector can be established by the EPIC. If an elector produces an Electors Photo Identity Card, which has been issued by the Electoral Registration Officer of another Assembly Constituency, such EPICs shall also be accepted for identification provided the name of that elector finds place in the electoral roll pertaining to the polling station where he or she has turned up for voting, the Election Commission said.
Overseas electors who are registered in the electoral rolls under Section 20A of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, based on the particulars in their Passport, shall be identified on the basis of their original passport only (and no other identity document) in the polling station, it added.