INDIA VOTES 2024: Election duty staff can use postal ballot facility

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 19

Individuals deployed in essential services as categorised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly byelections in the state will be eligible to vote through postal ballot as ‘absentee voters’.

Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg stated this while presiding over a meeting of nodal officers of different departments whose employees had been notified in the essential services category. He said employees would be eligible for the postal ballot facility after they were certified by the nodal officers as ‘on duty’ on the day of poll and submit the form 12(D) by May 12 to their respective assistant returning officers (AROs).

He added that during the Assembly elections in 2022, 1,181 postal ballots were issued to essential services voters out of which 872 were received back.

He said those eligible for postal ballot include doctors, paramedical staff and ambulance services, the essential duty staff of Fire Department, drivers and conductors, excluding local routes bus services within the city, milk supply service staff of milk federation and cooperative societies, mediapersons, pump operators and turners, electricians and line-mans. Also, the Jail staff deputed on essential service, which have been included in the list for the first time during these elections.

The CEO said officials of these categories would have to submit form 12(D).

He added that the employees engaged in essential services, who have applied for postal ballot paper facility, would be duly intimated about the venue, the dates and time on which the postal ballot voting facility would remain open, via SMS on their mobile phone number.

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