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Lok Sabha polls: Special arrangements to be made for ‘divyangs’, voters above 85
Stating that the Election Commission (EC) has launched a national campaign to raise awareness among voters, the Haryana CEO said that voters above the age of 85 years will be given the option to vote at the polling station or through postal ballot paper from home during the parliamentary elections, the schedule of which will be announced anytime.
Haryana chief electoral officer (CEO) Anurag Agarwal said on Thursday that special arrangements will be made at polling stations for ‘divyangs’ and voters above the age of 85 years.
Stating that the Election Commission (EC) has launched a national campaign to raise awareness among voters, the Haryana CEO said that voters above the age of 85 years will be given the option to vote at the polling station or through postal ballot paper from home during the parliamentary elections, the schedule of which will be announced anytime.
He said district election office employees will take preferences of ‘divyangs’ and those above 85 years into account and make arrangements accordingly. For this, such voters will have to give their consent in Form-12 and ‘divyang’ voters will have to give a certificate of 40% disability.
To enable ‘divyang’ voters to exercise their voting rights correctly, the EC has introduced the ‘Saksham app’. Through this app, ‘divyang’ voters can demand facilities such as wheelchairs, free transport, and pick-and-drop services for voting.
Agarwal said that as per the orders of the EC, all chief electoral officers of states and union territories are engaged in completing pre-poll activities. On Thursday, the EC virtually held a meeting with all CEOs and enquired about the arrangements made at polling stations for ‘divyangs’ and voters above the age of 85 years.
Later, the CEO held a review meeting with department officers regarding election management. He said that the EC aims at ensuring that no voter is left out and everyone exercises their right to vote.
“For this, the first step is to ascertain one’s name in the voter list. If the name is not included in the voter list, then Form-6 needs to be submitted online or manually to the concerned VLO,” said Agarwal.
He said that if there are errors in the voter list or if names need to be removed or added due to death, shift, or transfer, then Form-7 and Form-8 need to be filled and submitted.
c-Vigil: Election Commission’s third eye
To ensure compliance with the Model Code of Conduct during the Lok Sabha general elections, the EC has introduced C-Vigil, which serves as the third eye of the EC. Any kind of malpractice can be reported, and the identity of the reporter remains confidential. The CEO said that this app is easy to use. Any member of the public can report violations of the Model Code of Conduct by taking photos/audio/video through this app. This app can be downloaded from any app store.
