Only Union territories, including Chandigarh, have achieved the feat before Haryana.

A spokesman of Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation (HARTRON), the state level agency for preparing computerised voters’ lists and Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) in Haryana, Punjab and Union territory of Chandigarh, says that earlier this year complete electoral rolls with the photographs of electors were published by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Haryana in a short span of time. This was done alongwith the conclusion of delimitation exercise in the state.
 
New electoral rolls, complete with the photographs of all electors in Haryana, were published by the CEO with reference to January 1, 2009, as the qualifying date and within the time schedule fixed by the Election Commission of India.

The HARTRON spokesman said that 100 per cent photo electoral rolls in Haryana has been achieved with the constant and sincere efforts by CEO’s office and HARTRON during the last one year. It is very difficult to achieve photo electoral coverage beyond 96-97 per cent.

The exercise was completed in the Union territory of Chandigarh in January 2008, and efforts are now being made to finish the work of affixing photographs of all the electors on the electoral rolls in Punjab. Towards this end, a special campaign was launched from February 2-12, during which the deputy commissioners and divisional commissioners were directed by the CEO of the state to deploy any number of camera teams required.

The spokesman said that HARTRON, which first undertook the preparation of EPICs during 1993-94, has made a mark in the country in the accurate and time-bound preparation of electoral photo identity cards and voters’ lists with photographs. Its work has been appreciated by the Election Commission of India and in the past it has also lent its expertise to states like Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

He said that the publication of voters’ lists with photographs will ensure that the possibility of malpractices in the preparation of voters’ lists and bogus voting is  minimised and clear and correct voters’ lists are prepared.

Punjab, with 168,15,360 electors, has the highest strength of voters among HARTRON’s clients, followed by Haryana with 119,74,025 and just 4,83,982 in the Union Territory of Chandigarh.