The EC yesterday disclosed that it had extended the time limit for the ongoing task of updating the voter list up to August 10 from July 31, as the assistant officials, who will collect applications from people, for inclusion of names, will be recruited by July 20.

"The task of revising the existing voter list through door to door visits will continue till August 10," Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) MA Aziz said yesterday.

The CEC however again confirmed that no draft voter list will be published based on the field level task as there is 'no need' for it. Legal experts however said not publishing a draft list will deprive the people from the chance of disputing or complaining about any anomaly on the list rendering the entire process illegal again despite door to door visits.

The EC Secretariat in a circular directed the district election officers, who are working as registration officers, to send all information about the task to the secretariat by August 20, sources said.

To get the job done, the EC also directed the registration officers to recruit assistant officials who will go from door to door to collect applications from people for inclusions, amendments and deletions of names on the existing voter list.

"One assistant official will be recruited for an area where at least 600 to 700 voters exist," the circular issued by the EC Secretariat on July 6 said. It said the assistant officials will have to be appointed from among those who had been appointed as enumerators and supervisors during the preparation of the now defunct fresh voter list.

Following an amendment to the Electoral Roll Rules by the government on Thursday, the EC on the next day disclosed its decision to go from door to door to revise the voter list. The EC circular said, "The decision was taken in wake of a failure to get the desired response from the people to the previous method of updating the voter list," which began on July 1.

In accordance with the latest decision, assistant registration officers will go from door to door, but they will not enlist peoples' names on the list, rather the people will still have to apply for inclusion or deletion of names on the voter list.

Despite the fact that the enumerators, who went from door to door during the preparation of the controversial fresh voter list, registered people as voters using only one form, this time around for inclusion of names, people will have to fill up two forms.

The EC however, exercising its special power provided by the government through amending the rules, relaxed the strict procedure that had compelled people to apply with a set of documents for inclusion of names on the voter list.

"Applications for voter registration will be collected through door to door visits. So, There will be no need for attaching receipts of municipal tax payments or house rents or payments to local guards, and affidavits of proof of age or attested copies of SSC certificates with the application," CEC MA Aziz said yesterday.

Meanwhile, the on going method of updating the voter list from the offices of different local government bodies or government organisaitons have completely failed to get response from the people in the last 9 days. But the EC however decided to continue the procedure simultaneously along with the latest method of door to door visits.