Jammu, April 14
Persons with disability (PWDs) and senior citizens above 85 years of age on Sunday voted for the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat in Jammu division.
PWDs and senior citizens in some of the mountainous districts of Jammu division got the opportunity to vote for the first time from home. It was an initiative of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to increase the voting percentage.
Doda Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh said the election for Udhampur parliamentary constituency commenced today formally. “The voters under special category have cast their votes. 85 specially-abled persons and 90 senior citizens above 85 years of age cast the vote in the district,” he said.
The DC said this is a noble initiative in which specially-abled or senior citizens have been allowed to vote from home. As many as 31 teams visited villages in three assembly constituencies and got the votes of these voters.
“Senior citizens are telling us that if this initiative was brought in earlier, they would have voted every time,” the DC said. A secrecy cabin was deployed at the homes of the voters so that they can cast their vote easily.
Meanwhile, voting was also held in Ramban district. District Election Officer Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary flagged off polling staff for home voting of PWDs and voters above 85 years through postal ballot in two Assembly constituencies to ensure inclusive voting in a smooth and secure way.
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