EC’s home voting facility for elders, PwDs kicks off for Delhi LS polls

New Delhi: The home voting facility for the elderly voters and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in all seven parliamentary constituencies of Delhi kicked off on Thursday.

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi has started the facility that will continue till May 24, marking the first time such a facility has been made available in Lok Sabha elections, said a statement from the poll body. The home voting facility is available to voters above 85 years of age and PwDs, offering them the option to cast their votes from their homes, it said.

Veteran BJP leader V K Malhotra was among those who used the facility to exercise their franchise.

Delhi CEO P Krishnamurthy said their goal is to make the electoral process accessible to all and to encourage greater participation.

“By providing the home voting facility to senior citizens and PwDs, we express our care and respect towards them,” he added.

In Delhi, 5,472 voters who are either above 85 years of age or are Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) have filled out Form 12D, enabling them to avail of the home voting facility in the 2024 elections. If they choose to vote at the polling booth instead, 8,000 volunteers and 4,000 wheelchairs have been stationed at the polling locations to further facilitate their participation, the statement said.

Voting from home takes place with the involvement of a full contingent of polling staff and security personnel with secrecy of voting

diligently maintained, the statement said.