New Delhi, Apr 4: To ensure that every eligible voter exercises his or her franchise without hindrance, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued comprehensive guidelines to address potential hurdles related to voter identification.
The directive, aimed at preventing the disenfranchisement of genuine electors, emphasises flexibility in accepting identification documents, particularly in cases of clerical errors or discrepancies.
Under the new guidelines, state poll officers have been instructed to overlook minor clerical errors or spelling mistakes on voter ID cards, as long as the individual’s identity can be verified through other means.
Additionally, the ECI has specified that a voter ID card issued by the electoral registration officer of a different assembly constituency will be considered valid for identification purposes, provided the individual’s name appears on the electoral rolls of the respective polling station.
In instances where there is a disparity in photographs, voters are required to present alternative photo identification documents listed by the EC.
These include Aadhaar cards, MNREGA job cards, bank or post office passbooks with photographs, health insurance smart cards issued by the Labour Ministry, driving licenses, PAN cards, and smart cards issued by the Registrar General of India under the National Population Register (NPR).
Furthermore, voters who are unable to produce their voter ID card are instructed to furnish one of the aforementioned alternative photo identity documents to establish their identity.
The list of acceptable documents also encompasses Indian passports, pension documents with photographs, service ID cards issued by central or state governments or public sector undertakings (PSUs), official identity cards for Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), and Members of Legislative Councils (MLCs), as well as Unique Disability ID cards issued by the Ministry of Social Justice.
Overseas Indians registered in the electoral roll based on details from their Indian passport will be required to present their original passport as the sole identity document for identification at polling stations, with no alternatives accepted.
These guidelines come ahead of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in seven phases commencing April 19.
Concurrently, assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh are also slated to take place.