Citizens aged above 85 years and people with over 40% disability in Andhra Pradesh can vote from home

Only service personnel can vote through postal ballots and those on election duty and police personnel will exercise their franchise at ‘Facilitation Centres’, says Visakhapatnam Joint Collector K. Mayur Ashok

A banner put up at a water kiosk set up by the GVMC urges the voters to exercise their franchise during the elections, in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: V. RAJU

The Visakhapatnam district administration is making arrangements to facilitate voting by the employees on election duty, citizens above 85 years of age and persons with disabilities. Arrangements have been made for around 3,000 service personnel from the district, serving in remote and border areas, to exercise their franchise.

A survey will be conducted to provide ‘voting facility at home’ to citizens above 85 years of age and persons with more than 40% disability confirmed by the Software for assessment of disabled for access, rehabilitation and empowerment (SADAREM) certificate. There are around 25,000 voters above 85 years of age. The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been instructed to gather the details of these voters booth-wise in all constituencies, Joint Collector K. Mayur Ashok told the media on April 17 (Wednesday).

The BLOs would visit the identified households and take the opinions of the eligible voters in these two categories on whether they would like to vote from home or come to the polling booth. Those who want to vote from home would be given the 12 (D) forms to exercise their consent. A team of election officials would visit their houses, taking all the required material, on May 7.

The ballots would be kept in sealed envelopes before being put in the box. If a voter is not available at home during the first visit of the team, the latter would revisit the houses. In case of voter’s absence for the second time, they would lose their opportunity to vote. Those opting to vote from home will not be allowed to change their option. The representatives of political parties would also be allowed to witness the election process, the Joint Collector said.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has amended the Postal Ballot System. Only ‘service voters’ (military personnel) will be allowed to exercise their franchise in this mode. Those on election duty and police personnel on duty will vote at the ‘Facilitation Centre’ set up in each constituency under the purview of the Returning Officer.

The forms, pertaining to the service personnel, will be sent online to the Unit Officers concerned. The voters can download the ballots and exercise their franchise before sending them by post. The postal ballot facilities for the employees in the Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies have been withdrawn. Around 15,000 employees will vote at the Facilitation Centre on the AU College of Engineering campus.

Polling booths will be set up in all Assembly constituencies. The employees on duty will be allowed to vote at the Facilitation Centres on May 5 and 6.