Kulgam, May 18: Home voting for eligible physically-abled and elderly voters who have opted for the facility will begin today in Kulgam district, a part of the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) introduced home voting for the first time in Lok Sabha elections, creating many heartening scenes and making the electoral process more accessible.
Bilal Kamgar, Deputy District Election Officer (Dy DEO) Kulgam, told Rising Kashmir that this new initiative aims to facilitate voting for persons with disabilities (PwD) with 40 percent or more disabilities and voters above 85 years of age.
He said that in Kulgam district, 65 voters have registered for the home voting facility, which will commence on May 19. “We have a total of 65 citizens registered for home voting in Kulgam district, which is part of the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary seat. Among them, 49 are PwD, and 16 are voters aged 85 and above,” he said.
The Dy DEO said the district, comprising three assembly constituencies, has seen 14 voters register in 38-DH Pora, 25 in 39-Kulgam, and 26 in 40-Devsar. “Two teams of polling officials, along with security personnel, will be dispatched to each constituency to collect votes as per ECI norms,” he said.
Kamgar further said that home voting will take place from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on May 19, 20, and 21. Kulgam, as part of the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency, will go to polls on May 25.