- NET Web Desk
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to allow octogenarians and physically-challenged voters during the ensuing bye-polls to four seats of Tripura assembly, slated to be held on June 23.
The election officials today remarked that ECI for the first time introduced postal ballots at home, keeping-in-view of the electorates who are over 80-yrs-old or unable to move owing to age-old complications and physically-challenged individuals.
Officials from the polling station will go to the residences of these voters and collect their votes through postal ballots.
“Polling agents of political parties will accompany officials to prevent any shady attempt to persuade voters to cast ballots in favor of any party. However, the employees involved in conducting voting will go from house to house to collect votes after giving advance notice of their arrival,” the poll officials said.
The ECI has issued a detailed circular in this regard, and preparations are underway to conduct voting based on commission’s guidelines, referring to Section 171-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which states that anyone attempting to influence voting through the payment of money, other gratifications, or coercion will be punished.
Similarly, under Section 171-C of the IPC, anyone who attempts to secure a vote using threats, coercion, or attack will be sentenced to one year in prison, a fine, or both.
Meanwhile, the state election authority has requested 15 companies of central paramilitary troops to maintain law & order; thereby ensuring free and fair polling in the upcoming by-elections.
The central paramilitary forces will comprise of – Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) jawans drawn from other states and they will work alongside state police and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) jawans.
