EPICs and 11 other photo ID cards valid for voting: ECI

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked all electors, who have been issued Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs), to produce it for their identification at the polling stations before casting their vote, a government release said.

Electors who will not be able to produce the EPIC can produce any of the 11 alternative photo identity documents for establishing their identity such as passport, driving license, service identity cards with photograph issued to employees by the central or the state government or PSUs or public limited companies, passbooks with photograph issued by a bank or a post office, PAN Card, smart card issued by the Registrar General of India (RGI) under National Population Register (NPR), MGNREGA job card, health insurance smart card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour, pension document with photograph, official identity cards issued to MPs/ MLAs/ MLCs and Aadhaar Card, the government release.

In the case of EPIC, a clerical error or spelling mistakes should be ignored provided the identity of the elector can be established by the EPIC, the release said.

If it is not possible to establish the identity of the elector on account of mismatch of photograph, the voter shall have to produce one of the above alternative photo documents, the quoted the ECI as saying.

Overseas electors who are registered in the electoral roll under Section 20A of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, based on the particulars in their passport, will be identified in the polling station on the basis of their original passport only, the release added.