Special camps for voters Sunday

The Election Commission will hold special camps across the country Sunday to help eligible voters check if their names are included in the electoral rolls and provide those left out an opportunity to enrol.

The commission's move comes in wake of the complaints that some people with EPIC (Elector Photo Identity Card) in the past have been denied the right to vote because their names were not found in the electoral rolls.

The camps will be organised in all polling stations, where booth officers will have the electoral rolls displayed.

"We appeal to those who want to confirm their names to avail this opportunity before the election, so that if any person wants to get enrolled can file applications," a senior official of the Election Commission said Saturday.

The commission also clarified that only those people will be allowed to vote at a polling station who are enrolled in the electoral rolls there.

The official said the law does not allow inclusion of names in the electoral rolls after 3 p.m. on the last date of filing nominations, till the electoral process is complete.

He said voters can check their names on the website of the chief electoral officers. Names can also be checked through SMS on the numbers provided by the state election commissions.

The poll panel had made the announcement about the special camp during its press conference to announce the schedule of the Lok Sabha elections March 5.

The panel had said if name of any person eligible to be enrolled is left out for some reason or has been wrongly deleted, that person should fill form 6 and hand it over to the booth level officer at the camp.