New Delhi:
In an unprecedented step to curb rigging and impersonation in polls, the Election Commission on Thursday decided every voter in assembly poll-bound Manipur the state will be photographed during voting and ordered the removal of state police chief Y Joykumar Singh.
The actions were taken by the commission during its comprehensive review of election-preparedness in Manipur which is the first of the five states to go to polls on January 28.
After the review meeting, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi said that for the first time in the country, the commission has decided to get every voter photographed at the time of putting the ink-mark.
The step, Mr Quraishi said, will help ensure there is no bogus voting and no voter is impersonated during polling.
An EC official said that the poll panel has ordered the removal of Director General of Police Y Joykumar Singh "following inputs" from various quarters, including those from political parties in the state.
Mr Singh has been replaced by Ratnakar Bral who has already taken over as DGP.
The EC team led by Mr Quraishi and Election Commissioners V S Sampath and H S Brahma held meetings for checking the security arrangements, logistics and infrastructure for polling to elect the 60-member state Assembly.