Bihar Election 2025: Electors Can Use 12 Alternative Documents Apart From EPIC For Voting
The 12 alternative photo identity documents include Aadhar card, PAN card, MGNREGA job card, passbooks with photograph issued by bank/post office, passport and others.
Published : October 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM IST
New Delhi: In a bid to facilitate all eligible voters to exercise their franchise in the upcoming Assembly polls in Bihar and bye-elections in seven states and union territory (UT), the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday said electors can use any one of the 12 alternative photo identity documents apart from Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) for voting.
A senior official of the ECI on Friday told ETV Bharat that EPICs have been distributed to nearly 100 percent of electors in Bihar and different states and UT where the bye-elections will be held. All Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) have been asked to ensure distribution of EPICs to newly registered voters within 15 days following the final publication of the electoral rolls.
Voters whose names appear on the electoral rolls but are unable to present their EPIC for identification on the polling day, will be allowed to produce any of the 12 alternative photo identity documents such as Aadhaar Card, MGNREGA job card, passbooks with photograph issued by bank/post office, health insurance smart card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour/Ayushman Bharat Health card, the official said.
Among other documents are driving license, PAN card, smart card issued by RGI under NPR, passport, pension document with photograph, service identity cards with photograph issued to employees by Central/State government/PSUs/Public Limited Companies, official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs and Unique Disability ID (UDID) card under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The senior official of the poll panel further stated that having one's name on the electoral roll is a necessary condition to be eligible to vote on polling day.
Notably, in its ongoing effort to enhance the services available to voters on election day, the poll panel for the first time will offer a mobile deposit facility at all polling stations in Bihar. Also, it would facilitate elderly, PwD and service voters to cast their votes using postal ballot. Similar arrangements will be made for the bypolls.
The elections for the 243-member Bihar Assembly are set to take place in two phases on November 6 and 11. Bye-elections for eight seats across seven states, including Telangana, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, are scheduled for November 11. The counting of votes will will take place on November 14.
Voter Laud EC's Move
Sanjiv Das, a street vendor in Delhi's North campus, who is a resident of Bihar, lauded the poll panel's initiative to allow any of the 12 documents apart from the EPIC during the polling day.
Holding out his EPIC, he said ,"This is my voter identity card. Every elections, I carry my vote card as an identity proof to vote. Similarly, my family members also do the same. Although I have the EPIC card, this will help those who doesn't possess it during the day of elections. This is a good initiative," he told ETV Bharat.
Also Read
