Bihar Assembly Elections: Don't Have A Voter ID Card? These Are Valid Alternative Documents
Voters in Bihar can use multiple government-issued photo IDs if they don’t have a voter ID card to cast their votes in the upcoming assembly elections.
Assembly elections in Bihar will be held in two phases next month. Polling will be held on Nov. 6 and Nov. 11 to elect 243 members of the state legislative assembly.
While 121 constituencies will go to the polls on Nov. 6, voting for the remaining 122 will be held on Nov. 11. Results for all 243 seats will be announced on Nov. 14.
The electoral battle in Bihar is being widely seen as a direct contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (United), and the Opposition INDIA bloc, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress.
With the election date approaching, if there eligible voters who do not have voter IDs, they can still cast their vote with alternative documents.
12 Alternative Documents Allowed By ECI
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has said while voter ID cards are preferred, they are not mandatory to cast a vote. The ECI has allowed voters to use a range of alternative documents as valid photo identity proofs at polling stations.
Earlier this month, the ECI announced that 12 alternative photo ID documents can be used by voters who do not have Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC).
These include:
1. Aadhaar card
2. MGNREGA job card
3. Bank or post office passbooks with photographs
4. Health insurance smart card issued under the Ministry of Labour
5. Driving licence
6. PAN Card
7. Smart Card issued by RGI under NPR
8. Passport
9. Pension documents with a photograph
10. Service ID cards issued by central or state governments, public sector undertakings, or public limited companies
11. Official identity card issued to MPs, MLAs, MLCs
12. Unique Disability ID (UDID) issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
The ECI, however, also reminded voters that their names must appear on the Electoral Roll to be eligible to vote on polling day.
Provisions have also been made for women wearing a burqa or purdah. The poll body said that women wearing a burqa or purdah will have special arrangements at polling stations for discreet and dignified identification, conducted by female polling officers or attendants to ensure their privacy.
A total of 7.43 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes in the Bihar Assembly elections. Of these, around 14 lakh are first-time voters, while around 14,000 voters are aged over 100.
