Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Sanjay Kaul on Wednesday termed baseless the allegations that election officials were negligent in their handling of votes cast at home by voters aged above 85 years and those in the persons with disabilities (PwD) category.
Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan had written to Mr. Kaul seeking urgent measures to ensure that the ballots cast under the home-voting facility are placed in sealed ballot boxes and not in ‘loose covers.’
Despite repeated requests, the votes were being carried in loose covers “in flagrant violation of pertinent directives in this regard,” according to Mr. Satheesan. This, he said, would sabotage the election process and affect the results in tightly fought constituencies.
In a statement, Mr. Kaul said guidelines had been issued to district-level election officers, including District Collectors, to collect the home-voted ballots in sealed boxes. This was how the home voting operations were progressing in the State.
However, images of carry bags being used to transport the necessary stationery “in a misleading manner” in some media, following which officials were asked to examine the issue. “It has been clarified that the allegations are unfounded,” Mr. Kaul said.
