A little over 1.42 lakh elderly citizens and differently abled individuals have so far cast their votes in Kerala using the home voting facility extended by the Election Commission of India for the Lok Sabha polls.
The number constitutes 81% of the voters above 85 years and eligible voters in the persons with disabilities (PwD) category who had opted for the facility, Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kaul said on Sunday. The ‘home voting’ facility is open till April 25.
Of the 1,42,799 voters who have so far exercised their franchise from their homes, 1,02,285 are in the 85-plus category while PwD voters account for 40,514 votes. The optional home voting is open to voters above 85 years of age and PwD voters with 40% benchmark disability.
The encouraging turnout also comes amid suspensions slapped on polling officials in a number of districts for irregularities detected in the course of the mammoth exercise. Last week, four polling officials were suspended on charges of failure to prevent ‘outside interference’ during the casting of a 92-year-old woman’s vote at Kalliassery, Kannur. On Sunday, the Pathanamthitta District Collector suspended three officials, including a booth-level officer, in connection with a complaint regarding ‘vote fraud.’
Polling officials have also grabbed headlines for the hard work and efficiency that has gone into making the exercise a success story. Last week, a special polling team had trudged 18 km inside deep forest to record the home vote a 92-year-old bedridden man at Edamalakkudy in Idukki. The casting of vote by a 111-year-old woman in the Kasaragod constituency also had made news, Mr. Kaul said.
All steps had been taken to ensure that the home voting process was completed in a transparent manner, he said.
