Voters to be photographed
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 16 2011:
For the first time in the State, voters would be photographed as and when came out from polling stations after voting in the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly elections which are expected to be held in February next year.
The new measure was devised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) with the objective of preventing proxy or double voting.
In accordance to an instruction of the ECI, cameramen would be stationed in all 235 polling stations of the State and they would take photographs of all the voters who come out to vote.
The photographs thus taken would be compared with the photographs pasted in the photo electoral rolls, informed an official source.
If there are considerable number of cases where the photographs taken at polling stations are not compatible with the photographs given in photo electoral rolls, re-polling would be held in the particular polling stations.
The basic purpose of this new initiative is to check proxy voting as far as possible.
Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Officer of the State, acting on directive of the ECI, has instructed Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to examine the antecedents of licensed gun holders and seize their guns if any of them have undesirable antecedents.
The CEO has also asked relevant authorities to nab and send to jail within two weeks all those people against whom Courts have issued non-bailable arrest warrants.
Due instructions have also been issued to set up Media Certification and Monitoring Committee in all the districts.
It is said that only elector photo ID cards and voter slips would be used valid identification cards for voters during the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Preparation of electoral photo identity cards has been completed by about 97 per cent in the State.
The remaining three per cent are being prepared, added the source.