The third phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections will be taking place on Tuesday, April 6. A total of 31 Assembly constituencies in districts including eight in Hooghly, seven in Howrah and 16 in South 24 Parganas will go to polls in Pphase-III. There are 205 candidates in the fray in this round of polling. However, when it comes to women representation, there are only 13 women candidates contesting in this phase, merely 6%. Over the next month, till April 29, the state will gradually vote to elect a new government. Results will be declared on May 2.
But to actually cast your vote, one must have the relevant identity proof. And while it is possible to vote even if you don't have an EPIC (voter ID card), your name must be on the electoral roll. In case you do not have a physical copy of your voter ID card, download a digital version by logging on to the official government portal. Here's what you need to do.
1. Log on to voterportal.eci.gov.in or nvsp.in/Account/Login. If you do not have an account, then create it using your mobile number or email ID.
2. Log in and click on the option to download e-EPIC (Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card).
If you do not have a voter ID card (digital or otherwise), fret not. You can still vote, as long as your name is already on the electoral roll. Note that a photo voter slip shall not be accepted as a stand-alone identification document for voting.
The list of alternative recognised identity cards for polling are as follows:
i. Aadhar Card,
ii. MNREGA Job Card,
iii. Passbooks with photograph issued by Bank/Post Office,
iv. Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of
Labour,
v. Driving License,
vi. PAN Card,
vii. Smart Card issued by RGI under NPR,
viii. Indian Passport,
ix. Pension document with photograph,
x. Service Identity Cards with photograph issued to employees by
Central/State Govt./PSUs/Public Limited Companies, and
xi. Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs
If you're not certain that you're on the electoral roll, here's how you can check by logging onto the official CEO website of West Bengal. There is a segment on the home page that allows you to "Search your name on the voter list". You can search by EPIC number of by name. Select the relevant criteria and enter the detials before clicking on the Search option.
