The Hindu : Front Page : Verification process intensified

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 26, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Verification process intensified

V.Jayanth

Distribution of photo identity cards to be stepped up

CHENNAI: Field verification of 19 lakh applications submitted for inclusion of names in the electoral rolls has been intensified.

Preliminary reports from districts indicate that a majority of these applications contain all the required details and have been processed by local authorities. But in a few places, some non-genuine applications have been submitted and special staff were verifying them properly.

Though the special teams from the Election Commission will be submitting their report, preliminary reports say that unlike last year, most of the forms for inclusion filed till the end of January may be genuine. The Election Commission has been told that political parties had set up booth committees to look at electoral rolls in their areas and ensure that all eligible voters were registered.

They also ensured that the forms were properly filled and submitted in time.

In most places, the electoral authorities verified the applications and recommended inclusion of names. Election Commission sources said where the field staff had not done verification at the given addresses the process had now been initiated.

Only after spot verification, the names would be included in the electoral rolls, the sources noted.

Asked if those who had been left out of the electoral rolls or whose houses had not been covered under the door-to-door enumeration could apply for inclusion, Election Commission sources said they must have applied for inclusion already.

Special provisions

"We announced the process of rolls revision several times from June 2005. The onus rests on the voters to register. If they have applied but do not find their names in the final rolls, we can remedy the situation. Normally, once the final rolls are published, the focus shifts to preparation for the elections. But in exceptional cases, where whole streets or residential complexes have been left out, there are special provisions to have them included. It will be on a special, case-by-case basis. We do not want to be flooded with new applications for a third time," the sources explained.

Simultaneously, the process of photographing for the voter identity cards has begun and would proceed on an area-by-area basis.

Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswamy had set a target of at least 90 per cent for coverage under the EPIC by March 31. The appointment of a Special Chief Electoral Officer in C.P. Singh should enable the Elections Department to monitor the project closely.

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