Now, go online for new voter ID cards
Election office Web site allows you to apply for new ID cards or update personal details in electoral roles all without the hassle of visiting the registration office …..GEETA DESAI
In order to make the process of elections more voterfriendly, the election office of Mumbai City District (Colaba to Mahim-Dharavi) has now begun issuing Election Photo Identity Cards online and that too with a photograph of your choice, provided, of course, it is a close-up.
In fact, the election office has now made it possible for citizens to make new cards, or update personal information in the electoral roles all online. This will also help citizens understand the electoral process better.
The Web site of the election office provides links that give relevant information like voters list, maps of Assembly constituencies, etc. Various online forms, along with provisions for feedback, are also available on the site.
If your name exists on the voter list and you want to apply for a new voter card, you no longer need to go to the Electoral Registration Office. All you have to do is find your name in the voter list online, upload your photo, fill the form with your contact number, and email it to the election office on the address given on the site.
You will be given a unique ID number. You can then follow up your case online, or on the helpline provided on the Web site. When your application is processed and the card is ready, the election office will call you to collect it.
Those whose names do not exist in the voter list, as also those who have turned 18 and want to be included in the voter list, can also register online and apply for voter ID cards.
I S Kundan, Collector for Mumbai District, which comprises two Parliamentary constituencies and 10 Legislative Assembly constituencies, is hopeful that people will respond positively to the Web site. We have been getting a good response, but most citizens are still unaware of it. With this system, your voter ID is reached almost to your doorstep, Kundan said.
We are also targeting those 2.50 lakh families who do not have a single voter ID card in the family. We will send out a team of community health workers to their residences to get them registered on the spot. We are also encouraging people from big housing societies and slums to get registered. They can get registered in a few simple steps and get their ID cards on the spot. We are targeting nine lakh citizens, but may get just three lakh. But thats not a bad deal, Kundan added.
* This is a very good move as a lot of people find it difficult to keep making trips to the registration office. It would be great if youngsters in the suburbs can get themselves registered this way Ankita Dhuri, Kurla
* The picture on my old card is blurred and hard to identify. Online registration may even attract young voters as they do not like to stand in long queues at government offices Prem Sharma, Colaba
* If this ensures there will be no mistakes, it will work very well. It is very important that your voter cards have a good picture as they are used as proof in documents. This new facility should also be extended to the suburbs Mohammed Aslam, activist