In the upcoming Assembly elections in Telangana, individuals aged 80 and above, as well as those with over 40 percent disability, will have the option to vote from the comfort of their homes. This initiative, a first in Telangana, allows senior citizens to apply for this service on the ECI website, eci.giv.in.
Similarly, arrangements are being made for differently-abled individuals (with more than 40 percent disability) to cast their votes from home. The Election Commission will coordinate with political party representatives to visit their residences and facilitate the voting process, ensuring privacy through video recording, akin to polling booths.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar emphasized that extensive measures will be taken to curb inducements during the elections, including mandatory disclosure of candidates’ criminal backgrounds by political parties on various platforms. Candidates with such antecedents must also publish this information multiple times in newspapers and on television channels during their campaign.
Additionally, 22 enforcement agencies have been instructed to promptly address any malpractices. To counter the trend of distributing money via payment apps, the RBI and State-level Banking Committee will closely monitor the situation, and the National Payments Corporation of India has been urged to track any irregularities. Citizens are encouraged to download the C Vigil app, enabling them to report malpractice or irregularities anonymously, with the ECI committed to responding within 100 minutes.
The CEC also noted the publication of final Electoral Rolls for four other states, highlighting the encouraging balance of female and male voters in Telangana, totaling 3.17 crore voters.
