Disabled, people over 80 years of age can now vote through postal ballot
New Delhi, Oct 26: The disabled and people over 80 years of age can now cast their vote through postal ballot, the government said on Saturday, in a move that will help increase voter turnout.
At present, voting through postal ballot is available to armed forces and those assigned poll duties.
On the recommendation of the Election Commission, the Ministry of Law and Justice has amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, on October 22, allowing senior citizens and person with disabilities in the absentee voter list.
The absentee voter refers to a vote cast by someone who is unable to go to the polling station.
Officials said that in both these categories there are people who are unable to reach the polling stations and thus are unable to cast their votes.
"This will enable people from these two categories to cast their votes with ease and will also thus increase the voter turnout," an official said.
The poll officer will attest the absentee voter in the case of senior citizens and person with disability in the form 13A.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, about 60.14 per cent of absentee voters voted through e-postal ballot while in 2014, during the general election, this figure was just 4 per cent.
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BJP holds protest demanding liquor ban in J-K, police detain leaders briefly
Srinagar (PTI): Police on Friday stopped a protest march of the BJP demanding a complete ban on liquor in Jammu and Kashmir, and detained some party leaders temporarily, officials said.
Scores of BJP leaders and workers assembled near the Ram Munshi Bagh Park here and tried to take out a protest march towards the residence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at Gupkar, they said.
They shouted slogans demanding a complete ban on liquor in the Union territory.
However, police stopped the protestors and took some of them into custody outside the CM's residence, the officials said. The police later dispersed the BJP workers peacefully, they added.
