Date:11/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/11/stories/2008081159430300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Voters get two names for father

Staff Reporter

There is no provision for voter’s husband name in EPIC

Voter’s husband’s name is in the place earmarked for father’s name
Some officials and those managing the EPIC centres blame it on a software glitch

Bangalore: Absence of a column for printing husband’s name in the elector photo identity card (EPIC) issued to many voters in Bharathinagar area during the ongoing drive has created confusion among them.

Interestingly, the voter’s husband’s name has been printed in the place earmarked for the father’s name in Kannada in the EPIC issued to the voters. The name of the voter’s father has been printed in English in the place earmarked for the father’s name in Kannada.

This has resulted in a situation where each voter has got two names for their father — one name in Kannada and another in English.

Letter to CEO

M. Pari, former corporator of Bharathinagar ward, has written to the State Chief Electoral Officer pointing out the drawbacks in the EPIC, which has no column for the a woman voter’s husband’s name. Interestingly, Mr. Pari’s wife too got an EPIC in which her husband’s name has been mentioned in the space earmarked for the father’s name in Kannada.

Many residents in the area have also complained that EPIC issuing centres are refusing to issue the corrected card by either insisting on a separate application or getting the changes be approved by the revenue officer of the area concerned.

Meanwhile, people are being put to hardship in some designated EPIC-issuing centres as they are not functioning as per the schedule as announced in the media.

Rustam Vania, a resident of Avalahalli in Yelahanka, complained that he had had to visit the EPIC centre at Avalahalli four times to get a card.

The centre did not function on August 7, the day it was supposed to open as per information provided through the media. On the second day (August 8), it did not start at 9 a.m. as scheduled. Finally, when the personnel started issuing cards around 10.30 a.m., there was power supply failure, he said.

Mr. Vania and many others had to visit the centre several times that day to get their cards, taking time off work. Also, in Mr. Vania’s case, his father’s name has been printed in the place earmarked for the name of husband of the voter.

Software blamed

Some officials connected with the election process and those managing the EPIC centres blamed it on a software glitch.

If that is the case, wondered those enduring its consequences, why did the Election Commission not rectify it before commencing its EPIC drive?