Chandigarh: Elderly can now vote from home till May 30

Chandigarh, May 28

The elderly can exercise their franchise from the comfort of their homes till May 30.

The UT Administration had started the home voting process on May 23 and it was to be continued up to May 27, with an additional two days reserved for a second visit, if required. But now, it has been extended till May 30 as many voters were not available at their home.

On the first day of voting from home, 135 electors, including 114 senior citizens and 21 persons with disabilities (PwDs), cast their votes via postal ballot. As many as 595 voters had cast their votes till yesterday evening.

The programme has been designed to enhance the inclusivity of the democratic process for citizens over 85 years of age and PwDs with a minimum of 40% disability.

In preparation for this initiative, booth-level officers carried out an extensive door-to-door visits to the homes of all eligible voters in the constituency.

During these visits, applications through form 12-D were collected from those who opted for the home voting facility. In Chandigarh, a total of 633 eligible voters had filled the form.

A team of polling officials, accompanied by a micro-observer, videographer and police official, facilitated the home-voting process. Contesting candidates were duly informed of the schedule, allowing them or their authorised representatives to observe the proceedings, said Vinay Pratap Singh, district election officer-cum-returning officer.

He said the home-voting process usually commenced at 8 am and concluded at 5pm. Voters are notified in advance of the approximate arrival time of the polling team and they also receive an SMS ahead of the scheduled visit, he added.

595 voted so far

• The UT Administration had started the home voting process on May 23 and it was to be continued up to May 27, with an additional two days reserved for a second visit, if required
• On the first day of voting from home, 135 electors, including 114 senior citizens and 21 persons with disabilities (PwDs), cast their votes via postal ballot. As many as 595 voters had cast their votes till yesterday evening.