Jharkhand: West Singhbhum Ensures Home Voting for Elderly in Assembly Polls

Chaibasa: The West Singhbhum district administration has ensured home voting for many elderly voters in assembly elections in Jharkhand , officials said on Sunday.

Elections to the 81-member assembly are scheduled on November 13 and 20. Five seats falling in the district -- Chaibasa, Majhgaon, Jagannathpur, Manoharpur and Chakradharpur – will go to polls in the second phase.

Home voting, however, was held on November 3, 4, 9 and is being conducted on Sunday as well.

"To ensure accessibility and inclusiveness, the Election Commission has provided facilities of home voting for senior citizens aged above 85 years, and persons with disabilities (PwDs)," West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer Kuldeep Chaudhary told PTI.

"There are 15,904 such voters, including 3,009 voters above the age of 85 years in the five assembly constituencies, and many opted for home voting during surveys by the booth level officials. These include 101-year-old Bela Sen of Chaibasa and 100-year-old Imamum Bibi of Majhgaon," he added.

Chakradharpur assembly segment has a total of 56 voters aged over 85 years and 47 PwD voters.

"A total of 103 voters opted for the facility of postal ballot through a survey conducted by BLOs across all 1,284 polling stations in these five assembly constituencies.

"Home voting for these electors was conducted on November 3 and 4 in which a total of 100 voters cast their votes through postal ballot. The second round of home voting was conducted on November 9 which will continue today," the DC said.

Like Bela Sen, born on October 24, 1923, who is frail and unable to navigate the journey to the polling booth, the facility of home voting has come as a boon for such voters.

Chaudhary personally visited many of these voters with polling materials.

"We are committed to ensuring that no voter is left out in this largest democratic exercise in the world," Chaudhary said.

Among those who have exercised their franchise under the home voting initiative include 85-year-old Suleshwar Pan of Tonto, 89-year-old Buni Hembrom of Angarpada, 90-year-old Jaspin Bodra of Karaikela, 77-year-old Namsi Devi of Tengrai and 26-year-old Sonali Sharma, a person with disability.

More than 900 centenarians, including 533 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 43 assembly constituencies going to polls in the first phase of the elections on November 13. 

(This story is not edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed)