MCD byelections: Poll panel to use photos of candidates on EVMs to prevent confusion over namesakes

MCD byelections: Poll panel to use photos of candidates on EVMs to prevent confusion over namesakes

The Delhi State Election Commission will use photos of bona fide candidates on the EVM machines to be used in the MCD bypolls to prevent confusion among voters over multiplicity of candidates with the same names, officials said on Tuesday.

The bypolls for 12 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will be held on November 30, the Commission announced earlier in the day.

Cases have been noticed where two or more contesting candidates with the same name are in the fray. Names of such candidates due to alphabetical order, are printed together in the ballot papers, creating confusion in the minds of the voters, the officials said.

The Election Commission of India, in a letter issued to chief electoral officers of the states and Union Territories (UTs), issued directions that the printed postal ballot papers, ordinary ballot papers and those to be affixed on the balloting unit of the electronic voting machines should contain photographs of the candidates.

In a recently issued order, Delhi State Election Commissioner Vijay Dev has directed that every ballot paper for use in the MCD bypolls will contain colour photographs of the contesting candidates.

According to the guidelines, the colour photographs (2.5 cm x 2 cm) will display the face of the candidate on two-thirds of the photo space for better visibility.

The photographs will have a white or off-white background, with the full face of the candidate directly facing the camera, a neutral facial expression and eyes open.

If any candidate fails to provide his or her photograph or refuses to do so, then it will not appear on the balloting unit. However, nomination of such a candidate will not be rejected due to lack of a photograph, said the directions issued by Dev.

The candidates are required to submit their recent two colour photographs (taken within three months of the date of notification of the election) along with their filled-out nomination forms.

The returning officer will display a list of validly nominated candidates in Form 4 with the photographs of the candidates against their names on the day following the date fixed for the scrutiny of nominations.

The nominations for the bypolls will begin on November 3. The last date of filing of nominations will be November 10 and the scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on November 12, said a press note from the Commission.

The last date of withdrawal of nomination will be November 15, it said.

Voting for the bypolls will be held from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm, without any break, on November 30.

Counting of the votes polled will be held on December 3, it added.

According to a press note issued by the Commission, the bypolls will be held at Mundka, Shalimar Bagh-B, Ashok Vihar, Chandni Chowk, Chandni Mahal, Dwarka-B, Dichaon Kalan, Naraina, Sangam Vihar-A, Dakshin Puri, Greater Kailash and Vinod Nagar.