1,925 85-plus seniors, 360 disabled avail postal voting facility
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has provided the facility of home voting for the elderly and Persons with Disabilities (PwD)
District collector and poll officer Dr Suhas Diwase on Monday said that 1,925 citizens above 85 years of age and 360 disabled availed postal voting facility. He said 15,602 police officials and other government staff on election duty used the facility of casting their vote at dedicated facilitation centres till date.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has provided the facility of home voting for the elderly and Persons with Disabilities (PwD).
As many as 2,245 electors, aged 85 or above and those with 40% disability from 21 assembly segments have been allowed to vote from home or use the postal ballot facility for the upcoming state assembly polls by the Pune district election office.
According to ECI guidelines, postal ballots or home voting should be completed a day before the polling day which is November 19, ahead of polling scheduled on November 20. The centres where government officials were trained in carrying out elections doubled up as facilitation centres for them to cast vote.
Dr Diwase said that all workplaces in the district must provide leave for their employees for voting on November 20 or will face action under poll guidelines. The district collector said that static surveillance teams (SST) crackdown on poll time inducements yielded seizures estimated to be worth ₹40 crore which includes cash, precious metals, freebies, liquor and drugs.
The provision of compulsory voting will not apply to any voter whose absence may cause significant damage in relation to the employment they are engaged in, the circular states.