EC relaxes rules for Gujarat

Earlier this year, it was discovered during the visits of EC officials that many voters, especially of the minority community, were ‘‘missing’’ after the communal riots. ‘‘These were the people who were not at their address given on the voters’ list and were absent at the relief camps too. We had asked the state government to trace them. Some were traced but others are still missing,’’ an EC official said. ‘‘We have decided not to delete any name from the lists so that we don’t deprive the people of their right to vote.’’

The second hurdle was to identify voters who had also all documents that proved their identity. ‘‘For them, we have specified they can produce a document showing their name and place of origin,’’ the official said. ‘‘This document could be a letter from school, college, or university, or one showing payment made or received in the owner’s name, or even the name registered at relief camps.’’ He also said this was ‘‘the first time the EC had relaxed its rules to this extent’’.

Even those without their names on the voters’ list can vote on producing any document showing identity. ‘‘All that the person must have is a small slip of paper issued at relief camps to inmates. As long as it shows the name and where the person is from, he can vote.’’

The EC held extensive discussions on security preparedness for the polls. Yesterday, the Union Home Secretary was called for the discussion, and today the Gujarat DGP was consulted on the law and order in the state’s sensitive localities. At both meetings, the deployment of paramilitary forces was considered for sensitive pockets.

At the meeting with the Chief Secretary, the EC evaluated the state’s progress on transfer of officials who have spent more than four years at one posting or have been serving in home district.