By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Aug 3: You will now get the photo electoral (PER) rolls at the click of a mouse. The draft PER will soon be made available online as the Assam election department has almost completed the preparations to upload the PER on its official website. This is for the first time the State election department will make the PER available online and the people can see their PER related details including their photos in the State election department’s website.  

Sources said the State election department was just waiting for the green signal from the Election Commission of India (ECI) for uploading/publish the draft PER on the website – ceoassam.nic.in.

In January this year, the ECI took the step towards having PER with the Kamrup (metropolitan) district being first shortlisted for the launch of the pilot project which was also launched throughout the rest of the State in February this year.

As per the draft electoral rolls, at present, Assam has 1,85,62,143 voters and number of D-voters in the electoral rolls is 1,56,693. Sources said 88.54 per cent of the 1,85,62,143 voters had submitted their photos along with the prescribed forms to the election authorities which had already started including those names and photos in the PER.

Some of the legislative assembly constituencies (LACs) in the State recorded hundred per cent submission of photos and forms. “Hundred per cent submission of photos and forms was recorded in Bokajan, Howraghat, Diphu, Bogaigaon and Lahorighat LACs,” said the sources.

LACs like Algapur, Chenga, Raha and Hojai recorded 99.03 per cent, 99.23 per cent, 99.64 per cent and 99.14 per cent submission of photos and forms for the PER respectively. Chabua LAC recorded the lowest submission rate – 66.08 per cent.

Sources further stated that the response of the people towards the PER was overwhelming and the State election department had kept the option open for the people who were yet to submit their photos along with the forms.

The ECI has also told Dispur to finish the PER process before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections so that Assam could join the other States of the country which have already introduced the PER.

It may be mentioned that Assam is the last State to join the PER bandwagon and if all goes according to plan, the 2014 general elections could see the debut of the PER in the State.