Bihar Assembly Election 2020: Nearly 13% of elderly, persons with disabilities opt for postal ballot in first phase

For phase 1 elections in 71 constituencies across 16 districts, 400,000 voters are eligible to use postal ballots. Of these, 52,000 have chosen to opt for the facility, the EC said

Nearly 13% of the eligible elderly (over 80) and voters with physically disabilities have decided to opt for the postal ballot drop-off and pick-up facility for the first phase of the Bihar assembly election, which will be held on October 28.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora holds a press conference to announce the schedule for Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections 2020, in New Delhi on September 25. (ANI file)

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had decided that booth-level officials would visit the homes of 1.6 million people, of which almost 1 million are elderly and the remaining are differently abled, to see if they would like to exercise their franchise via postal ballot, people familiar with the matter told HT.

The decision was taken amid Covid-19, which can be fatal for those with co-morbidities, to ensure safety of all the electors. The ECI visited Bihar for a pre-poll assessment from September 29 to October 1.

For phase 1 elections in 71 constituencies across 16 districts, 400,000 voters are eligible to use postal ballots. Of these, 52,000 have chosen to opt for the facility, the ECI said in a statement on Monday.

“These electors will be provided postal ballots on pre-informed date(s) by the returning officers with proper security and videography arrangements to ensure secrecy, safety, and transparency in the process. Remaining electors intend to visit the booth on the poll day for franchise. This is the first time that postal ballot facility is extended to both the categories in Bihar elections,” the ECI statement said.

Booth-level officers (BLOs) are required to submit the forms and the acknowledgement slips within five days of the notification and submit them to the returning officer.

“In the subsequent two phases of elections in Bihar and in by-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. BLOs will visit approximately 12 lakh such electors’ homes in Bihar in the next two phases for this purpose,” the ECI added in its statement.

Although, the law ministry has ratified the extension of the postal ballot facility to those over 65 years of age, the amendment has not been invoked for the present elections.

Bihar will vote in three phases on October 28, November 3 and November 7. The results will be declared on November 10. In all, 72 million people will cast their votes to elect legislators to the 243-member assembly.