Elderly voters are seen exercising their franchise from homes for the upcoming bye-election to 60-Pungro-Kiphire (ST) Assembly Constituency in this collage photo from a tweet shared by DC&DEO, Kiphire on October 27. (Image Courtesy: @DCKiphire/Twitter)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 28
In a first in the state, the election officials in the 60-Pungro-Kiphire (ST) Assembly Constituency has made arrangement for the elderly and People with Disabilities (PwDs) to vote from the comfort of their homes for the upcoming bye-election on November 3.
According to the Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer Kiphire, the door to door collection for the process has been completed.
“The PWD and the Elderly Voters of 60-Pungro-Kiphire (ST) AC exercised their votes through Postal Ballot from the comfort of their home. Door to Door collection completed,” the official Twitter handle of DC Kiphire posted on October 27.
The exercise is part of the ECI’s initiative to make electoral process becomes more accessible, inclusive and safe for these categories during the period of COVID-19.
It must be mentioned here that in October 2019, the Election Commission of India (ECI) informed that it is working on detailed guidelines and standard operating procedures (SoPs) to facilitate the process of postal ballot paper for absentee voters of essential services, senior citizens of more than 80 years and marked PwD electors.
These guidelines will include the identification of such voters, the manner of outreach, the methods of collection as well as voting in the specified centres in each constituency, an official notification said.
A press release from the ECI on October 12 also informed that as the nomination process begins for Bihar elections, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) of 71 Constituencies voting on phase-I on October 28 have reached out to more than four lakh electors belonging to senior citizen (above 80 years of age) and PwD categories.
More than fifty two thousand such electors have exercised their option to vote through postal ballots, it said.
In subsequent two phases of elections in Bihar and in bye-elections in all other States, this exercise will continue so that electoral process becomes more accessible, inclusive and safe for these categories during the period of COVID-19, it added.
