EC team arrives at Patna to review poll preparedness

Patna, Jun 24: An Election Commission (EC) team arrived here today to review the ongoing exercise to prepare photo electoral rolls and the reorganisation of polling booths in view of the new delimitation of the Parliamentary constituencies.

Bihar Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Kumar Anshumali said the team, comprising Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N Gopalswami, Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi and Deputy Election Commissioner M R Balakrishnan, would review the poll preparedness and all ongoing exercises for the elections.

Detailing the agenda of the team, he said it would take stock of the situation regarding coverage of the voters identity cards, addition and deletion of the names from the voters list and other official matters.

Meanwhile, election office sources said only 60 per cent of the 5.5 crore voters had been covered with the photo I-cards in Bihar whereas the coverage in other states was much higher.

Due to want of proper software, the issuance of the photo I-cards to the voters was slow, the sources admitted, adding that the election office was developing new software for the purpose and the cards would be issued from next month.

The sources said the number of polling booths would be increased this time as the EC had directed to set up a booth for every 1,500 population.

As per the directions, the number of polling booths for the Lok Sabha election would be at least 56,000 against the existing 49,000.

Subsequently, the deployment of security personnel would also be enhanced this time, the sources informed.

UNI