Bhubaneswar: The ‘vote from home’ initiative, introduced by the Election Commission (EC) for the first time in the history of the Lok Sabha elections for persons with disabilities (PwDs) over 40 per cent benchmark disability and senior citizens aged 85 and above, started in Capital City, Monday. Under the initiative, the officials visited the homes of elderly citizens and PwDs to offer them invitation letter by giving them the choice to vote from home.
A team of officials led by Khurda Collector and District Election Officer met several senior citizens on this occasion and gave them Form-12D to initiate the process. Those who received the invitation letters to cast their votes May 25 include Braja Mohan Chakrabarty of Unit IV and Sashidhar Mishra of BJB Nagar from the Bhubaneswar Central Assembly constituency. The elderly people appreciated EC’s initiative terming it as a move to strengthen democracy. Khurda ADM Pratap Chandra Beura said, “The senior citizens have the choice to vote from home or visit booths on polling day. The provision of home voting aims to empower voters who face difficulties in reaching polling stations. It is specifically targeted at PwDs meeting the 40 per cent benchmark disability criteria and senior citizens aged above 85 years.” “The process to avail this facility is simple. Eligible voters must complete Form-12D within five days of the election notification and submit it to the returning officer. PwD voters need to include a baseline disability certificate with their applications,” he said. “A dedicated team, including polling officials and security personnel, will visit the senior voters’ residence to collect their votes. Voters are informed in advance about it, ensuring a smooth voting experience. The entire process is recorded for transparency,” Beura added. This initiative showcases the ECI’s commitment to using technology to improve the electoral process. With digital notifications and videography, voting becomes more transparent and accessible.
According to ECI, there are 3.32 crore voters across the state, out of which 1.68 are male voters and 1.64 are female voters. Also, there are 3,380 third-gender voters as well and 6.8 lakh very senior citizens. As many as 9,060 voters are more than 100 years old. This step marks a significant advancement in making the electoral process more inclusive and accessible. As per available data, over 81 lakh voters in the country are aged above 85 along with more than 90 lakh registered PwD voters.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP