Voter slips available at polling booths today

Mangaluru: Addressing the press, Deputy Commissioner and District Electoral Officer Sasikanth Senthil S. informed that Voter slips and Electoral Photo Identification Cards will be distributed to voters at the polling booths on Monday, May 7.

Booth level officers (BLOs) started issuing voter slips and EPICs on Saturday. Of the 50,000 applications for fresh enrolment, 47,000 were accepted and will get their voter slips and EPICs soon. The Election Commission has instructed the BLOs to personally hand over the two documents.

Mr. Senthil said that on Monday BLOs will be available at the polling booth to distribute the voter slips and EPICs. Additional personnel will be deployed to make sure the two documents reach all eligible voters by May 9. Voter facilitation centers will be functional in each polling booth on the polling day to inform voters about the booths they have to cast their votes in.

Mr. Senthil said that production of voter slip, which has the photograph of the voter, was enough proof to identify the voter on the day of polling. In absence of voter slip, a voter can make use of 12 documents, including the EPIC, Aaadhar card, Passport and Driving Licence, as a proof of identity.

Responding to requests from voters from over 60 polling booths on the need for transport facility to reach polling booths, Mr. Senthil said that the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has been asked to submit a plan. “It would run special buses or extend services of the existing bus routes,” he said.

Mr. Senthil said that of the 11,000 personnel involved in polling duty, 7,928 personnel have so far applied for postal ballots. All polling personnel will be given postal ballots. Polling personnel can submit postal ballots till 5 p.m. on May 12. Mr. Senthil is among the officers of the district who will make use of postal ballot.