Secunderabad: Demand for photo ID system in Secunderabad Cantonment Board polls

Secunderabad: The residents of Cantonment have raised alarm against the Board decision on not implementing photo electoral rolls system in the upcoming Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) elections.

The residents opposed the SCB decision stating that it would create opportunities for duplicate votes and forgery, which was why the Election Commission started implementing photo electoral rolls system for elections. The announcement was made by the President of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board, Brigadier Abhijit Chandra, in a response to a letter from a resident of Ward 5 S Ravindra Babu.

Brigadier Chandra further added that the decision was taken considering the expense and the time that the system demands. Financially, the board is not in a good position and is barely capable of providing the residents with basic civic amenities.

"When the photo electoral rolls are being implemented by the Election Commission for both State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, why can't the Ministry of Defence (MoD) implement it for Cantonment Board elections, too?" asked S Ravindra Babu. "Duplicate votes could be weeded out using photo electoral roles and if there is no implementation of the same there are chances of forgery in votes," said Srikanth, a resident of Bowenpally.