Imphal, April 07 2009: If you are denied your voting rights for not possessing Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC) on the Election Day, do neither curse the polling personnel nor be crestfallen.

Simply go, get your job card and exercise your franchise! .

In order to prevent impersonation of voters and to facilitate identification of voters, the Election Commission of India has directed that all electors in each of the 60 Assembly constituencies in the coming general elections to 15th Lok Sabha, who have been issued EPICs should produce these cards for establishing their identity to exercise their franchise when they come to the poling stations for voting, according to a release issued by CEO, Manipur, Shambhu Singh.

However, electors who have not been issued their EPICs need not worry as job cards issued under NREGA, driving licences, passports, ST/SC/OBC certificates, property documents, service I-cards, etc have been validated by the ECI.

According to the missive, the ECI has permitted the electors who have not been issued EPICs to vote in the coming elections provided their identity is otherwise established by the production of any of the alternative documents including passports, driving licences, Income Tax Identity (PAN) cards, service I-cards issued to its employees by State/Central government, PSUs, local bodies or public limited companies with photographs, passbooks issued by PS Banks/Post Office and Kisan passbooks with photographs, property documents (pattas, registered deeds, etc) with photographs, SC/ST/OBC certificates issued by competent authority with photographs, pension documents such as ex-servicemen's pension book/pension payment order, ex-servicemen's widow/dependent certificates, old age pension order, widow pension order with photographs, freedom fighter I-cards with photographs, arms licenses, certificate of physical handicap with photo, job cards issued under NREGA, health insurance scheme smart cards with photo, (all certificates, cards etc issued upto February 28, 2009) .

The CEO's statement also said that the commission has clarified that any document enumerated in the lists, if available with the head of the family shall be allowed for the purpose of identification of other members of the family provided all members come together and are identified by the head of the family.

The CEO also urged the representatives of the political parties, contesting candidates and the electors to give full cooperation for the successful conduct of general election in Manipur scheduled to go to poll in two phases on April 16 and April 22 .

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