Maharashtra polls: 2,245 senior citizens & PwDs to vote from home in Pune
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), around 1,925 senior citizens (above 85 years of age) and 320 PwDs will be voting from home across Pune district
As many as 2,245 senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PwDs) will be voting from home during the forthcoming assembly elections. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), around 1,925 senior citizens (above 85 years of age) and 320 PwDs will be voting from home across Pune district.
District deputy election officer Minal Kalaskar said that the administration contacted each of these voters through their regional voting officers and ensured that form 12D reached them and that their names were subsequently registered. “Out of that, 2,245 applications were received and approved. As many as 1,925 voters are above 85 years of age while 320 are handicapped persons above 85 years of age,” he said.
The last date for withdrawing nominations is November 4 after which the ballot paper will be printed by November 10. Thereafter, the election staff will visit the homes of these voters to complete the voting process. The election office has started collecting the 12D forms across Pune district. The district has the maximum number of registered senior citizen voters at 121,827, as per the ECI data.
According to the guidelines, the forms have to be filled out and submitted to the returning officer (RO) within five days of the election notification issued on October 22. PwDs are expected to submit a baseline disability certificate along with their forms. The booth level officer (BLO) is responsible for retrieving the filled-out forms from these voters (their homes). Candidates will receive a list of these voters in order to maintain accountability and transparency; if they wish, they can choose a representative to supervise the process.
Following this, a dedicated team of polling officials along with security officials will visit the voters’ homes to collect their votes. Significantly, the voters will be notified of the visit, allowing them to exercise their right to vote in a safe and comfortable manner. To further expedite the procedure and improve accessibility, voters can also receive notifications via SMS about the days when their home voting facility is active. A video of the complete process will be taken for purposes of transparency.
Voting from home will take place with the involvement of a full contingent of polling staff and security personnel and the secrecy of voting will be diligently maintained. The district administration stated that it has taken another decisive step towards facilitating a more equitable and representative democracy, where every citizen’s voice matters, regardless of physical limitations or age.