Postal ballot, home voting begins for Budgam Assembly bypoll

Postal ballot and home voting processes began on Wednesday in Budgam Assembly Constituency (AC) where bypolls would take place on November 11.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who won last year’s Assembly elections from two seats, Budgam and Ganderbal, retained the family stronghold of Ganderbal and vacated the Budgam seat, necessitating the bypolls there.

The process of postal ballot voting began for 27-AC Budgam at the Budgam BDO office, marking an important step in ensuring that all eligible voters, especially employees in essential services who may not be able to attend polling stations on the election day, have the opportunity to exercise their democratic rights, an official spokesman said.

Budgam District Election Officer (DEO) Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat underscored the commitment to ensuring a free and fair voting process for all eligible voters.

The DEO said the postal voting ballot facility at the BDO office in Budgam is well-organised, providing a streamlined process for employees to cast their votes and to strengthen democracy. “According to the guidelines of the Election Commission, the district administration has worked diligently to assist voters in casting their votes via postal ballots while maintaining the integrity of the postal ballot system,” he said.

The initiation of postal ballot voting in Budgam demonstrates inclusive participation of all employees in the electoral process. The postal ballot voting process will continue for three consecutive days, starting from November 5, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the home voting process also commenced on Wednesday across the constituency, the spokesman said. The ECI has introduced the facility of home voting to ensure inclusive electoral participation, enabling eligible senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PwDs) to cast their votes from the comfort of their homes, the spokesman said.

He said the facility is available to voters aged 85 years and above, and PwD electors with 40 per cent or more benchmark disability.

As part of the exercise, dedicated polling teams comprising presiding officers, polling officials and security personnel visited the homes of eligible voters to facilitate the process according to the guidelines issued by the ECI, the spokesman said.

The initiative received widespread appreciation from the beneficiaries, who expressed gratitude towards the ECI and the DEO for extending such an accessible and citizen-friendly facility, he said. The voters who availed the facility expressed happiness over being able to cast their vote from home, and expressed gratitude towards the ECI and Budgam DEO.

The home voting initiative marks a significant step towards ensuring accessibility, dignity and inclusion in the electoral process, reaffirming the commitment of the ECI to leave no voter behind, he said.