The impractical card has become a nickname for address

Although Voter ID was designed in 1957, it took almost three decades for it to become fully operational.

Internet Desk: It can be said that the conduct of election which is described as a festival of democracy is a challenge. The Central Election Commission (Election Commission) is taking various measures to conduct these without any irregularities. Although the voter ID card (Voter ID) was designed in 1957, it took almost three decades to fully implement it. This voter card was made available in 1993, which is crucial in preventing one from voting instead of another.. Currently it is not only a voter's identity but also one of the address verification documents of the people.


First attempt failed..

The process of issuing photo ID cards to voters was undertaken for the first time in 1960. These were handed out under a pilot project during the Calcutta (South-West) Parliamentary Constituency by-elections. But, it was not fully successful and it stalled for almost two decades. Again in 1979, these were issued during the Sikkim Assembly elections.. Then they were brought in the North Eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland. These marked the beginning of nationwide photo ID issuance in 1993. There is an interesting provision in the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill-1958 regarding these. It is mentioned in the book 'Leap of Faith' published by EC on the election journey in India.


India's first Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sukumar Sen revealed on his retirement that he was happy to see this bill introduced in the Lower House on November 27, 1958. It is remarkable that the then Law Minister Ashok Kumar Sen, who introduced the bill, is Sukumar Sen's younger brother. Finally, on December 30, 1958, this bill became law. KVK Sundaram has already taken charge as the Chief Election Commissioner for the second time. He held the post from December 20, 1958 to September 30, 1967. He also created a record as the longest serving CEC. After the 1957 general elections, the Central Election Commission in its report said that issuing photo identity cards in crowded urban areas would make it easier to identify voters at the time of polling and prevent impersonation.


These are the reasons..

While there are 3.42 lakh voters in Calcutta (South-West), after 10 months of hard work, only 2.13 lakh voters could be collected. Of this, photo ID cards were issued to 2.10 lakh people. The reason for this is that women voters are not coming forward. Although female and male photographers were appointed, there was opposition from women voters. Moreover, it is estimated that the Calcutta area alone will cost Rs. 25 lakhs to undertake this project. Being an additional burden in terms of expenses, the EC, which reviewed the missionary in the commission, consulted with the central government. The Election Commission has come to the conclusion that it is not practicable to carry out this process satisfactorily in Calcutta or across the country.

For almost three decades this process has not progressed fully. Finally, in 1993, the issue of voter cards was started again. Election Commission has made efforts to give identity card to every voter across the country. Electronic Electoral Photo ID Cards (EPIC) were introduced in 2021. This digital card in PDF format is designed to be immutable. It is known that along with the details of the voter, the QR code has also been embedded.