Senior Citizens and Divyangs can Vote from Home in Gujarat Elections : Election Commission

Gandhinagar: The Election Commission of India today in press conference in the national capital New Delhi announced that Gujarat Assembly elections will be held in two phases on December 1st and December 5th. The results will be declared on December 8, 2022.

The CEC Rajiv Kumar During the press conference also gave the details about commission’s Initiatives for PwD Voters, 80+ Senior Citizens, Electors employed in essential services and COVID suspect/affected voters.

I. The following procedure have been specified in the Guidelines for Voting through postal ballot by Absentee Voters in the category of Senior Citizens PwDs and Covid-19 suspect or affected persons:-

i) An Absentee Voter wishing to vote by postal ballot has to make application to the Returning Officer (RO) of the constituency concerned, in Form-12D, giving all requisite particulars. Such application seeking postal ballot facility should reach to the RO during the period from date of announcement of election to five days following the date of notification of the election concerned.

ii) In case of absentee voters belonging to PWD category (AVPD), who opt for postal ballot, application (Form 12D) should be accompanied by a copy of benchmark disability certificate specified by the concerned appropriate Government, under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

iii) Distribution of Form 12D by BLO:
(a)BLO will visit to the houses of the absentee voters in category of AVSC, AVPD and AVCO, as per details provided by the RO, in the Polling Station area and deliver Form 12D to the concerned electors and obtain acknowledgements from them.
(b)BLO shall deposit all the Acknowledgements obtained from the electors with the RO.
(c) If an elector is not available, BLO will share his/her contact details and revisit to collect it within five days of the notification.
(d) The elector may or may not opt for Postal Ballot. If he/she opts for Postal Ballot, then the BLO will collect the filled-in-Form 12D from the house of the elector within five days of the notification and deposit with the RO forthwith.
(e)Sector Officer shall supervise the process of distribution and collection of Form 12D by BLOs under the overall supervision of RO.

(iv) Further, the RO shall share list of all such PwD and 80+ electors, whose applications in Form 12D for availing Postal Ballot facility have been approved by him, with the Contesting Candidates of recognized political parties in printed hardcopy

II. A polling team comprised of 2 polling officials along with a videographer and security will then go to the elector’s house along with a Voting Compartment and get the elector to vote on the Postal Ballot maintaining complete secrecy of vote. Candidates will be provided a list of these electors in advance and will also be provided the schedule of voting and the route chart of the polling parties so that they can send their representatives to witness the polling procedure. Postal ballots will then be stored securely by the Returning Officer.

III. This is an optional facility and does not involve any Postal Department mailing kind of arrangement.

IV. Commission has directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat to take necessary steps for the dissemination of information and extending facilitation to the above categories of Voters.

DeshGujarat