Kaithal: Super-seniors to get vote-from-home facility

Tribune News Service

Parveen Arora

Kaithal, April 3

The Kaithal administration has geared up for the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat polling process. It will provide voters aged 85 years or above and persons with disabilities (PwDs) with the vote-from-home facility. The facility has been introduced for the first time on the directions of the Election Commission of India.

Volunteers to assist them at polling booths

Special arrangements have been made at polling centres for voters aged 85 years and above. We will ensure that they are not deprived of their voting rights. The facilities such as wheelchairs, ramps, pick-and-drop facility and medical kits will be made available at the polling centres. Volunteers will assist the elderly and PwD voters who come to vote at the booths. — Prashant Panwar, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer

There are a total of 8,13,964 voters in the district. Of them, 11,017 are 85 years old or above, including 7,147 women and 3,870 men.

Of them, there are 3,229 voters in the Pundri Assembly segment, 2,852 in Guhla Assembly segment, 2,714 voters in Kalayat Assembly segment, and 2,212 in the Kaithal Assembly segment, said Prashant Panwar, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer.

Out of the 11,017 voters, there are 411 voters who are either 100 years old or above in the district, including 268 women and 143 men voters. There are 168 such voters in the Pundri Assembly segment, 124 in Guhla Assembly segment, 71 in the Kalayat segment, and 48 in the Kaithal segment.

Besides, the authorities have identified 7,580 PwD voters. The Kaithal Assembly segment has 2,263 such voters, which is the highest in the district, followed by the Kalayat segment with 2,12,4ll voters, Guhla with 1,682 voters and the Pundri segment with 1,511 voters, the DC added.

“We will ensure the facility of vote-from-home for those who do not wish to go to the polling booths to cast their vote. They will be provided with forms by the election office for their consent,” said the DC.

After obtaining their consent, a team will be formed to facilitate the voting process, he added.

The nomination process for the Lok Sabha election will be completed by May 6. These forms will be collected from the homes of the elderly and PwD voters. The voters who want to vote-from-home will be provided with ballot papers and on the same day, the officials will seal these after they mark their ballots. The privacy rights of the voters will be maintained throughout the process. The whole process will also be videographed, the DC said.

“Our target is to increase the voter turnout, for which we will make all efforts,” he added.

“Special arrangements have been made at the polling centres for voters aged 85 years and above. We will ensure that they are not deprived of their voting rights. The facilities such as wheelchairs, ramps, pick-and-drop facility and medical kits will be made available at the polling centres. Volunteers will assist the elderly and PwD voters who come to vote at the booths,” he added.

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