No hard stance on ID cards: Gill

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MARCH 26. Even as the poll schedule for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election will be announced `very soon', the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Dr. M. S. Gill, today ruled out the EC taking an obdurate stance on making voters photo-identity cards compulsory in the coming polls.

Mr. Gill, after a meeting with top-level officials and representatives of various political parties at the Raj Bhavan here, was firm that some form of identification for the voters to cast their ballots in the coming polls would be needed.

But, ``tragically, with a State like Tamil Nadu having a gap'' in the voters coverage under the Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) programme, alternative forms of identification for the uncovered electorate will be `announced soon' after a full meeting of the EC in New Delhi, he said.

Stating that the EPIC programme in Tamil Nadu ``will end up with 70 per cent coverage'', Mr. Gill told a news conference here that he was also sensitive to the political parties' apprehensions on this vital issue.

``We are conscious of the non-denial of vote (to those who have not got the EPIC cards)'', Mr. Gill said, adding that the EC would decide on ``what precise orders we will give'' (on alternative forms of identification).

The CEC declined to go into further details, as a document ``which is highly useful in Tamil Nadu, may not be so in Punjab''. Such aspects will have to be gone into before any specific order was passed by the EC, Mr. Gill reasoned. The State CEO, Mr. Mrutunjay Sarangi, was also present at the press conference.

On the second main issue of use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the polls, Mr. Gill said despite the objections to it, electronic voting ``went off beautifully'' in several States including Goa as the machines were simple and `neutral' to the rural/urban and illiterate/literate divides.

Taking note of `concerns' expressed by opposition parties in Tamil Nadu who opposed the use of EVMs, Mr. Gill said the EC was constantly sensitive to `critical observations' and made changes to instructions for their use.

All the political parties in West Bengal and Kerala favoured EVMs, he said. The EC will take a final decision on this, also keeping in mind that there was a court case in Tamil Nadu.

Referring to TV channels having expanded in a big way, particularly in a State like Tamil Nadu where ``political parties have their own channels or friendly channels'', he said, they had been advised against using any channel ``rather aggressively against your opponent and in your favour''.

The amended `Cable TV Network Act' entailed specific penalties if programmes were used to promote violence, Mr.Gill recalled and added that the EC would insist that ``designated authorities'' under the Act should even launch prosecution if necessary. The District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrates and Police Commissioners, will be the `designated authorities'.

Refusing to focus on `individual cases' vis-a-vis convicted politicians being disqualified from contesting the polls under the RP Act, Mr. Gill merely said, when any such case came up, it will be ``dealt with as per the Law and the instructions of the EC to the Returning Officers''. The recent apex court judgment on finality of convictions will have to be studied in full, he said, to a query.

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