Official teams to collect postal ballots from eligible voters from April 4

Special teams collect postal ballots from elderly and disabled voters in Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency for 'vote from home' option.

Thirty-five special teams of officials have been constituted to collect the postal ballots from 1,644 persons above the age of 85 and 609 persons with disabilities, who have opted for the ‘vote from home’ facility in Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency.

Although 16,366 voters above the age of 85 and 12,043 persons with disabilities were eligible to opt for the facility in the constituency, only a limited number of them have chosen the option by submitting the 12-D forms.

In Tiruchi West Assembly segment 473 senior citizens, the highest among the six segments in the Lok Sabha constituency, have opted for the facility. In Srirangam 355 voters above the age of 85 have opted to vote from home. Among PWD voters, the Srirangam segment has the highest number of 209 opting for the facility, according to details furnished by the district administration.

Special teams from the office of the Assistant Electoral Officers will be formed to distribute and collect the postal ballots from those who opt for it. Officials will visit the houses of voters and collect the ballots after intimating the voter concerned a day ahead of their visit. Micro observers will monitor the exercise, which will also be video recorded. Booth agents nominated by the candidates will be allowed to observe the process.

The teams will visit the homes of the voters concerned between April 4 and 6. The voter will receive an intimation about the date of the visit over their mobile phones.

The home voting option will be attempted twice. The polling team will schedule a second visit if the elector is not available at the given address during the first visit. The second visit will be scheduled on April 8 and 9. Voters who fail to vote even during the second chance, cannot exercise their franchise at the polling booths on the election day, Collector M. Pradeep Kumar said.

Meanwhile, the district administration has stepped up Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation programme to achieve cent per cent voter turnout. Mr. Pradeep Kumar along with City Police Commissioner N.Kamini flagged off an awareness rally by traffic police personnel from Anna Stadium to Gandhi Market in the city.