Why voter identity slip dispensed with, wonders ex-CEC

New Delhi, March 10 (IANS) Former Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath here on Sunday wondered why the Election Commission has dispensed with the voter identity slip, issued by the Commission, as one of the identity documents for an elector to cast his vote.

In the last four-five years, there has been a vigorous campaign to issue voter identity slips that contain the picture of the voter and other details like the constituency and the booth, which were taken from the electoral rolls to help a voter cast his vote, he said reacting to the announcement in this regard made by the Election Commission while announcing the poll schedule for the 17th Lok Sabha.

"The voter slips are issued by the election staff in the last three-four days before the polling day, which is of use to voters, especially the poor, who do not have the capacity for storing such documents for a long period.

"If someone wants a higher turn out, then the voter identity slip is useful. I don't know why it was dispensed with," said Sampath, who conducted the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The Commission, while continuing with more than 10 other documents as identity proof, has dispensed with the voter identity slip in the coming elections.

Sampath welcomed the announcement of multi-phased elections to the Lok Sabha saying it was necessary because of security and other considerations to give the voter a sense of security. Such a long election process also could not be helped in a vast and diverse country like India, he said.