EC mulls mobile polling stations, photo electroral rolls

Lucknow, Aug 19 (UNI) The Election Commission of India is actively considering proposals to deploy mobile polling stations and photo electroral rolls to help voters in elections.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N Gopalswami said here that the EC was working on a proposal to deploy mobile polling stations to help voters in far flug areas exercise their franchise. In reply to a poser on voters in several villages having to travel several kms to cast ballot, he said the proposal to introduce mobile polling stations was under active consideration. But at the same time he clarified that it was not possible for the EC to go house to house to enable voters unable to move out of their homes, cast ballot.

He was addressing participants at the 4th Annual National Conference on Elections and Political Process Reforms.

''The idea is to have a polling station per villages, especially in areas where the village population is over 500 voters,'' he said.

To another question by a participant, the CEC said the EC was also working on a proposal to issue photo electoral rolls so that voters who have lost or misplaced their election photo identity cards (EPICs) can exercise their franchise. ''The project will be implemented by the year 2009 (when Lok Sabha elections are due) in all states.

When a participant suggested that the the EC should deploy its own men during elections to ensure better transparency, he said deploying 35 lakh persons on an average was not an easy task and practically not possible.

To a poser on whether the 2009 Lok Sabha elections would be held as per the new delimitation, he said the process of the delimitation copmmission was complete and it was upto the President to notify it.

''It is up to the government to implement it,'' he noted.

UNI