Shajapur (Madhya Pradesh): Several elderly and disabled voters could not exercise their franchise during the voting from home facility that began on Monday in Maksi assembly constituency.
The Election Commission of India had arranged for the option of voting from home for individuals aged 80 and above, but several voters were inadvertently excluded from this facility.
One such case was of 85-year-old Leela Bai Shukla from Ward 15, who was unable to cast her vote from home as the polling team failed to reach her residence. This left Leela Bai feeling excluded from the democratic process, questioning why she was the only one left out when officials had visited other elderly voters for home voting.
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Leela Bai's age in the list of disabled voters from Shajapur was mistakenly recorded as 78 years, making her ineligible for the home voting service. Her family members claimed that no Booth Level Officer (BLO) had visited their home for registration.
Similarly, 100-year-old Kesar Bai Patidar from the same Ward also faced a similar issue. Despite her family's plea and agreement with the BLO and supervisor to vote at the polling station, Kesar Bai's deteriorating health made it nearly impossible for her to reach the polling booth.
In light of these cases, concerned family members have appealed to the district election officer to permit voting from home for such elderly and disabled voters.
Meanwhile, collector Kishore Kanyal said that while a list of elderly and disabled individuals had been prepared, some names might have been unintentionally omitted. As a result, these voters will need to visit the polling station on November 17 to cast their votes.
