The State election authority, the Chief Electoral Officer, has prescribed certain dos and don’ts for voters coming to the polling stations for exercising their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday.
It is mandatory for the voters to carry their EPIC cards or 10 other prescribed identity cards validated by the EC along with their voter slips. “Voter slip alone is not the stand-alone proof of identity. It is an invitation extended to genuine voters who should carry one of the 11 prescribed documents,” CEO Rajat Kumar said.
While carrying identity proofs was one mandate, voters should ensure that their names figure in the voter lists in the respective polling stations. “Even if they (voters) have their EPIC and other identity cards, presence of their name in the electors list is a must. We appeal to voters to verify whether their names are present in the lists in the respective polling booths,” he said. The election authority on its part had ensured dispatch of EPIC cards for close to 48 lakh new voters enrolled during the summary revision ahead of the Assembly polls and the one that concluded recently. “We have received compliance report from the companies that printed these cards,” he said.
Mr. Rajat Kumar warned the voters against carrying their mobiles into the polling stations as it is an offence under the Election Law. Only the presiding officer would be allowed to carry his mobile as he/she should be available for answering queries if any from the election authorities. “Carrying mobile into the polling stations is an offence,” he said.