PATNA: There couldn't have been a better compliment for Bihar in recent times. States like Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh (MP) have evinced keen interest in the methods adopted by the Bihar government with regard to the preparation of photo identity cards (PICs) for voters this time.
Revealing this here on Wednesday, Bihar Chief electoral officer NK Sinha said over 83 per cent of voters had been provided with PICs while 17 per cent of voters, whose names figured in the voters' list at two places, had their names deleted from the electoral rolls.
With the first two phases of the Bihar Assembly elections being conducted in a free and fair manner, the polls have so far proved that PICs, if properly issued, are the best weapon to ensure fair elections anywhere in the country.
It was former CEC T N Seshan's idea of providing PICs to voters across the country to prevent bogus voting and booth capturing. The holding of fair elections in the first two phases has proved that the move is finally paying dividend. It however, took ten years for the idea to click.
