Bihar: Issue of photo ID cards by end of 2008

Patna, May 22: All fifty million voters in Bihar will get their photo identity cards by the end of 2008, the state election department here today announced.

According to election department sources, the decision to provide photo ID cards to all the 50 million voters within a timeframe had been taken in accordance with the directive of the Election Commission of India and on the basis of the preparation of a fresh electoral role with January 1, 2008 as the cut off date.

The sources said to begin with, the photo ID cards would be issued to the electorate in five of the state's 243 assembly constituencies very soon before repeating the same exercise in all other constituencies in a phased manner within a definite timeframe.

"We have decided that the electorate in Belsand, Farbisgang, Chundi, Gaya Town and Daka in Sitamarhi, Araria, Nalanda, Gaya and East Champaran districts respectively would receive their photo ID cards in the first phase following which other constituencies would be brought under the same programme in a phased manner, the sources clarified.

During the current financial year the voters in at least 100 assembly constituencies in the state would receive their photo ID card, the sources emphasised.

About the number of new electorate who had attained the minimum age of 18 since the last revision of the voters list in the state, the sources said though there was no definite figure it was expected to be around twenty million.

UNI