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Booth capturing a thing of past: CEC

Ananya Dutta

Election Commission for including youth in election process

KOLKATA: While assuring that 100 percent of India’s electorate will be issued Electronic Photo-Identity Cards (EPIC) in two years time, Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla said here on Friday that to increase the involvement of the youth in the election process, the Commission is contemplating issuing EPICs to college students who a re temporarily living outside the area of their residence.

“The plans are still at the drawing board stage,” Mr. Chawla said. For example, if a student residing in Delhi is living in a hostel in Kolkata for more than six months and should choose to vote in an election, he or she can apply for an EPIC card in Kolkata. Three years later, after completing the course the card may be surrendered, Mr. Chawla explained.

The Commission is also looking into the possibility of allowing students to volunteer as assistants of the Booth Level Officer in updating electoral rolls, he said at an interactive session organised by the Merchants’ chamber of Commerce.

“This ensures more accurate electoral rolls. If we have clean electoral rolls then we are more than halfway in ensuring free and fair elections,” he said.

Commenting on the importance of involving the youth in the electoral process Mr. Chawla said that the idea of allowing transgenders to register as “other” came to him after the issue was raised by students at the Asian College of Journalism at Chennai and KIIT at Bhuvaneswar.

Mr. Chawla also said in two years 100 percent of the 740 million voters will be issued EPIC cards. Currently cards have been issued to 582 million voters,about 82 percent of the electorate.

While certain States including Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and West Bengal have done well, he said States like Manipur with 60 percent EPIC distribution are a challenge.

On being asked about the security threat from Maoists in the forthcoming elections in Jharkhand, Mr. Chawla said that the commission will take measures for any eventuality.

“In every State there is some problem of the other,” he said adding that questions were raised about holding the Jharkhand Assembly elections in five phases, but resources of the Home Ministry must be kept in mind when planning these things.

On being asked about incidents like booth capturing and blocking voters from going to the polls, Mr. Chawla said: “Booth capturing is a thing of the past.” A re-poll is immediately ordered at “the slightest smell of a booth capture.”

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