Madhya Pradesh Plans Vote-From-Home For Elderly, Differently Abled

Will 12.10 lakh ballot papers be decisive in the upcoming assembly election in Madhya Pradesh? Though the Election Commission made this provision for voters aged above 80 years and persons with disabilities to vote from home in the last by-election, only 10 per cent of the voters under these two categories used the facility.

No party won a clear majority in the 2018 assembly election. Some seats were close enough to influence the outcome because the difference of victory and defeat was less than 1,000 votes. There are more than 12 lakh voters who have the potential to change the game because every assembly has between 7,000-8,000 such voters.

Under the vote-from-home facility, more than 12.10 lakh voters, including 7.30 lakh aged above 80 years and over 4.80 lakh people with disabilities, will be eligible to vote from home if they want.

The polling parties, carrying a completely secured ballot box and also provision for videography of the entire vote-from-home process, will go to voters' homes and help them cast their vote a week before the actual election.

They will have to fill form 12D within five days of the election's announcement.

Anupam Rajan, Chief Electoral Officer of the Madhya Pradesh Election Commission, told NDTV that "if someone wants to vote from home, the person can".

"A polling party will be formed. All protocols will be followed transparently with a neutral atmosphere. Postal ballots will be kept in the strong room and will be taken out on the day of counting," Mr Rajan said.

A per the latest figures available with the CEO Madhya Pradesh office, the state has over 5.41 crore voters, including more than 2.80 crore male and over 2.61 crore female voters, besides 1,257 third gender voters.

Those aged above 80 years and persons with disabilities form 1.35 per cent and 0.89 per cent, respectively, of the total voters.

The opposition has doubts about the process. Congress spokesperson Anand Jat said though the Election Commission is continuously trying to increase voter turnout, the ruling party should not take advantage by finding a loophole.

"Under the vote-from-home scheme, officials will go to divyang and elderly people a week before the election and take their votes, but the Election Commission should ensure that the ruling party does not gain from this process and there should be no dishonesty," Mr Jat said.

BJP state media in-charge Ashish Aggarwal said the BJP goes to the public and asks for blessings based on its organisational capability, while the Congress begins crafting the script on how to counter its projected defeat.

"The Election Commission is a constitutional body; it always work on how to improve the percentage of voters... the BJP agrees with every decision that increases the percentage of voting, while the Congress, due to its predicted defeat, continues to blame EVMs and the Election Commission," Mr Aggarwal said.

The cause for political parties' anxiety is 25 seats. In the 2018 assembly election, the margin of victory in 10 seats was less than 1,000, with the Congress winning seven.