Residents wait for voter ID cards months after applying for changes

Several electors in the Chennai district claim that they are yet to receive the physical copy of their voter identity cards from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), months after applying for corrections.

Though physical IDs are not mandatory for casting a vote, residents say corrected cards are important for other official processes.

Bindhu, a resident of Kodambakkam, said she had applied for corrections in her voter ID card in October 2025, but had not received the updated card yet.

The physical card is required to renew her passport, as the soft copy would not be accepted as a proof of address, she said, adding that her daughter had faced a similar issue.

“I had received the card after I applied for a change of address. I had to reapply last October to correct my name, as all changes cannot be made at once, and each requires a six-month gap,” she said.

After waiting for six months, she visited the zonal office of the Greater Chennai Corporation. “Officials there said the card had been issued but might have been misplaced. A staff member pointed to a stack of applications and said there were many similar cases,” she said. 

She also checked with the post office, but the officials said they had not received the card. “GCC officials asked me to reapply, but I was unable to complete the process online. I had to keep visiting the office,” she said.

“They keep shifting responsibility, saying it is not under their jurisdiction. It has been quite frustrating,” she further said.

Geetha Ganesh of the AGS Colony Residents’ Welfare Association said she had applied for a new voter ID card with corrections, but had not received it so far.

‘17,000 cards printed’

In Chennai district, around 17,000 voter ID cards have been printed and will soon be dispatched to electors, a senior GCC official said. Some more cards are currently being processed, the official added.

The official said the voter ID card was one of the documents that could be produced as a proof of identity while casting a vote.

If the voter’s name appeared in the electoral roll in the respective polling station, the elector would be allowed to vote even without the physical card, the official added.