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UP polls: Photo identity cards mandatory

Source: PTI
February 22, 2007 20:58 IST
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Photo identity cards will be made compulsory for voting in the seven-phase assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami said on Thursday.

"As far as possible, identity cards will be made mandatory for voting. At present, over 75 per cent of voters have identity cards and efforts will be made to ensure that at least 90-95 per cent of voters will have it before the polls," Gopalaswami told reporters in Indore after chairing a meeting of the Delimitation Commission's public hearing.

"The polls will be conducted with electronic voting machines only," he said.

Gopalaswami denied that the poll schedule for Uttar Pradesh is the longest, and said seven-phase polls were also conducted in Bihar, which has 40,000 booths in comparison to Uttar Pradesh's 1.10 lakh booths.

Referring to the ban on use of polythene in electioneering material in Uttarakhand, he said the Election Commission had only ensured the implementation of the existing law on the issue in that state.

"Our job is to ensure implementation of existing laws," he said.

The Delimitation Commission, Gopalaswami said, will submit its final recommendations in two months and this will come into force after the presidential notification.

Earlier, the Commission heard several objections, such as those on including Depalpur assembly constituency in Dhar Lok Sabha seat instead of Indore and on coverting Khargone Lok Sabha seat from the general to reserved category, in the presence of Congress and BJP leaders.

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