Mumbai lags behind with only 60% EPIC holders

While the city and state are all set to go to the polls on October 13, the city boasts of only 60 per cent Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) holders and the state has just 80 per cent. The CEC has said that those without the EPIC cards will not be allowed to cast their vote.

Among the three states going to the assembly polls, Arunachal Pradesh has 88 per cent EPIC card voters, Haryana has 99 per cent, while Maharashtra has only 80 per cent. In fact, so alarmed is the Central Election Commission (CEC) that in the last few review meetings the CEC officials have asked the state officials the reasons for the failure of Mumbai not getting 100 per cent EPIC cards for voters when every capital city of India has succeeded.

The state election officials have been equally baffled. However, reasons chief electoral officer Debashish Chakrabarty, “We must also understand that while the rest of the states implemented EPIC cards nearly 10 years ago, Maharashtra did not implement this procedure from 1996-1997 but instead started it in 2007. We began late but have given various options to help our voters. We do not why the figures are still so low.”

During the recent Lok Sabha elections, Mumbai had only 43 per cent EPIC card holders. In the next two months, the island city, followed by the Eastern and Western suburbs, have undertaken measures to encourage more citizens to come forward and acquire their EPIC cards.

A helpline was set up, vans with facilities for taking pictures and for giving printouts was on the move to reach out to more people, especially those residing at big housing societies. Recently, the facility to e-mail pictures has also been made to make it easier for the citizens.

There are nearly 27 lakh voters in the island city of which there are 48 per cent in Dharavi, 56 per cent in Colaba, 73 per cent in Malabar Hill, which records the highest, followed by 72 per cent in Worli, 71 per cent in Sewri and 51 per cent in Sion.

Idzes Kundan, the city collector, laments at the public indifference. “I expected more people to come forward and enroll their names and get their EPIC cards considering the 26/11 took place in this city.”

The situation in the suburbs is far worse. There are 71 lakh voters in Western and Eastern suburbs and yet there are approximately 60 per cent EPIC card holders. Ghatkopar records the highest number of EPIC holders with 87 per cent, followed by Andheri (W) 72 per cent, Dindoshi (Goregaon E) 70 per cent and Vile Parle 69 per cent. Among the lowest, interestingly, are a few slum areas like Shivaji Nagar 51 per cent, Anushakti Nagar 56 per cent and Chembur 55 per cent. However, the more elite Bandra (W) is not far behind recording only 59 per cent EPIC card holders and Bandra (E) recording 54 per cent. The lowest in the whole city is from Versova with only 44 per cent voters having EPIC cards.

The Sena alleges that the low turn out in the city and slum pockets in fact indicates that there are many bogus voters and Bangladeshis that is in fact helping the Democratic Front government.

“Many voters are bogus with no residential proof or identity proof. Many of them are illegal Bangladeshis too. We have been campaigning against them and the low enrolment for EPIC cards in areas like Dharavi, Shivajinagar, Charkop certainly proves our point,” says Sanjay Raut, Sena member of parliament