EC to hand out photo voters' slips to check bogus polling

To ensure that only genuine voters get to exercise their franchise on polling day, the Election Commission will for the first time be handing out photo voters' slips to electors ahead of the December 4 vote, the move expected to be more effective in checking bogus voting.
EC officials said that the process of distributing the photo slips would ensure verification of the genuine voters. Also, in case of voters forgetting their Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC), they may produce the said slip to establish their identity at polling stations, they added.
One poll officer is to be stationed outside each polling station on polling day with copies of the photo slips to enable voters to collect the same on the spot before casting their ballot.

Electors whose photograph in the EPIC does not match will have to produce alternative photo IDs like passport, driving licence, service identity cards for Central/state/public sector employees, Pan card, Aadhaar card, etc.
EC also added that since it is going to be poll officials who distribute the voter slips this time, it will help enforce the 48-hour no-campaign rule. Political parties are known to send their workers to hand out the slips right before polling day, thus technically violating the 48-hour rule by getting in touch with voters.