Jaipur. For the first time in Rajasthan during the Lok Sabha elections, Home Voting facility is being extended to the senior citizens above 85 years of age and differently-abled voters with over 40 percent disability. Rajasthan Election Department is working on this with a commitment for inclusive and fair election process. Presently, registration of eligible voters willing for home voting is being done by the Booth Level Officers (BLO) and this process continues till March 26 for the first phase of Lok Sabha polling in the state.
Chief Electoral Officer Shri Praveen Gupta said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken this initiative of inclusive elections. This innovation of home voting was successfully implemented in Rajasthan recently during the Assembly General Elections-2023. During this, approximately 99 percent of the 61,022 eligible registered voters availed the facility of voting from their homes. Now, this facility is being extended during the Lok Sabha General Elections-2024.
Mr. Gupta told that this facility is optional. As per instructions of the ECI, lists of eligible home voters are updated till the names of the candidates for the Lok Sabha constituencies are finalized by the BLOs. Thereafter, door-to-door voting is done through postal ballot.
For the first phase of Lok Sabha voting, presently, the BLOs are going door-to-door and providing information regarding home voting. To avail the facility, eligible voters have to file application through Form 12-D to the BLO. This process of registration has already started for the first phase of voting will continue till March 26.
After registration of voters opting for the home voting facility, their lists would be made available to all recognized political parties and candidates by April 1. Formation of special polling teams, their training and other processes would be completed by April 4.
The polling for home voting will start from April 5 and continue till April 14 in presence of representatives of political parties, candidates and election observers. If due to some reason the voter was not available or could not vote in the first round, the polling teams would make a second visit for home voting between April 15 and 16.
