Ex-PM Manmohan's wife casts vote from home

Late Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's 87-year-old wife Gursharan Kaur on Thursday used the 'vote from home' services of the Election Commission to exercise her franchise for the Delhi Assembly elections.

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Notably, Manmohan Singh had even utilised this facility to participate in the electoral process during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Apart from Kaur, 91-year-old veteran BJP leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and his 89-year-old wife Tarla Joshi also cast their votes at their residence in the national capital. All of them were registered as absentee voters in the senior citizen category (AVSC).

The voting from home facility in Delhi for elderly voters (85+) and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) was first started during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Any eligible citizen aged 85 and above or with 40 per cent benchmarked disability can avail of the provision of home voting facility through postal ballot in the Delhi Assembly elections.

Delhi has 1,09,063 voters who are more than the age of 85 years. Of this, 6,399 have opted to vote from home. Of the 79,114 voters with disabilities, 1,050 will vote from home.

“By providing home voting facility to senior citizens and PwDs, we express our care and respect towards them. Our goal is to make the electoral process accessible to all and to encourage greater participation,” a poll body officer told The Tribune.

Voting from home takes place with the involvement of a full contingent of polling staff and security personnel with secrecy of voting diligently maintained.

With this, the ECI has taken a decisive step towards facilitating a more equitable and representative democracy where every citizen’s voice matters, regardless of physical limitations or age.

A dedicated team of polling officials and security personnel visits the voters’ residence to collect their votes, ensuring they are notified in advance to prepare for the visit. The entire process is even videographed to ensure transparency.