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NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) connected Friday issued elaborate instructions to guarantee due elector recognition up of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, including peculiar arrangements for women successful burqa oregon purdah, amid heightened scrutiny implicit electoral rolls and elector verification.In a property note, the canvass assemblage said, "To promote information of 'purdanasheen' (in burqa oregon purdah) women, peculiar arrangements shall beryllium made astatine the Polling Stations arsenic per extant instructions for their dignified recognition successful the beingness of woman Polling Officers/Attendants portion ensuring their privacy."
The ECI said it is empowered nether the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, to contented Electors’ Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) to facilitate recognition and forestall impersonation astatine polling stations.
Nearly 100% of voters successful Bihar and the 8 constituencies going to bye-elections person already received EPICs. The Commission besides directed Chief Electoral Officers to guarantee transportation of EPICs to caller voters wrong 15 days of last work of electoral rolls.For voters incapable to nutrient an EPIC, the ECI connected October 7, 2025, allowed the usage of 12 alternate photograph individuality documents, including Aadhaar cards, MNREGA occupation cards, slope oregon station bureau passbooks with photographs, wellness security astute cards, driving licenses, PAN cards, Indian passports, pension documents with photographs, authorities work individuality cards, authoritative MP/MLA/MLC IDs, and Unique Disability ID (UDID) cards.
The Commission reiterated that inclusion connected the electoral rotation is simply a prerequisite for voting.The instructions travel amid a governmental statement implicit elector verification. Last week, Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal urged the ECI to guarantee “proper verification” truthful that lone “genuine voters” tin formed ballots, peculiarly highlighting burqa-clad women. “We person urged the ECI to guarantee that the tallying of faces of voters, particularly burqa-clad women, indispensable beryllium ensured with respective EPIC cards truthful that lone genuine voters get to workout their franchise,” helium said.
Jaiswal besides suggested deploying paramilitary forces successful villages with sizeable weaker-section populations to forestall intimidation during polling.The determination drew disapproval from the opposition. Abhay Kushwaha of the RJD, which leads the Mahagathbandhan coalition, called the BJP connection “a governmental conspiracy.” He added, “Only precocious has the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls been carried out.
New EPIC cards are to beryllium issued to each voters with caller photographs. Identification of voters is nary large deal. But the BJP wants to propulsion its ain agenda.”The RJD besides requested the ECI to disclose details of 3.66 lakh names deleted from the last electoral rotation and urged the canvass sheet to restrain the NDA authorities from making “populist announcements” without budgetary allocation and curb idiosyncratic attacks during the campaign.
