Saturday, 06 April 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Election Commission’s initiative to implement the vote-from-home facility specifically for elderly individuals aged 85 years and above has elicited varied opinions and concerns among the eligible voters in the provisional State capital. In Uttarakhand, the voting will be held on April 19. However, with the vote-from-home option, voting for elderly citizens will commence on April 8. According to the official data about 65,177 voters aged 85 years and above in the State are expected to take part in the parliamentary election. Additionally, out of this total, 10,390 elderly individuals have registered to avail of the option to cast their votes from their homes.
Commenting on this, 86-year-old Geeta Dimri said that she appreciates the initiative taken by the commission to facilitate elderly individuals who are unable to physically go to polling booths to cast their votes. She pointed out that as she has aged, knee problems have made it difficult for her to move around without assistance. She further emphasised the significance of voting as a responsibility of being an Indian citizen. Due to this initiative of the commission, she will be able to participate in the voting process this year, Dimri added.
Another elderly citizen who is aged about 85 years, Rajendra Malhotra stated that he prefers not to vote at home as he believes he may be influenced by his children. He emphasised his intention to visit the polling booth on the polling day to also engage with new people and consider their perspectives on different political parties before making an independent decision on casting his vote.
Several other elderly individuals shared diverse opinions regarding the option of voting from home. A section of elderly citizens raised concerns about their lack of awareness regarding the registration process for this new initiative.
One such voter, 89-year-old Uma Goyal said that she was unaware about the requirement to register in order to cast a vote from home. She conveyed her concerns about being unable to visit the polling booth due to issues with her legs. However, the deadline to register for this initiative was March 25 which has now passed, she added.
