Bus operators seek postal ballot clarity for poll-duty crew

Kolkata: Bus operators have written to the state Transport Department, urging it to take up the issue with the Election Commission and frame clear guidelines on postal ballot facilities for bus crew engaged in election duty who may not be able to vote in person.

“With around 1,500 buses and minibuses likely to be requisitioned for the second phase of elections on April 29, nearly 5,000 crew members will be on duty that day and unable to visit their polling booths. There is confusion due to the absence of clear guidelines on postal ballot voting,” said Tito Saha of City Suburban Bus Service, who submitted a letter to the Principal Secretary of the Transport Department on Monday.

A majority of these crew members operate in Kolkata but hail from districts such as Burdwan and remote areas of North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas and Murshidabad. Saha said many are also apprehensive that their names could be permanently deleted from the electoral rolls if they fail to cast their votes.

He added that the Principal Secretary has assured that the matter would be taken up with the concerned District Electoral Officers (DEOs) at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the North 24-Parganas DEO has already held a meeting with bus operators and initiated steps to designate a date for postal ballot voting for bus crew members in the district.