CEO Manipur finalises postal ballot process
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, February 14 2022:
Manipur Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajesh Agrawal on Monday finalised the postal ballot process in the state.
In a release, the CEO informed that out of total 21,944 service electors in Manipur, postal ballots for 12,605 service electors have been sent through ETPBS by respective returning officers (ROs) for the first phase.
In the second phase, postal ballots for 9339 service electors will be sent electronically within 24 hours from the finalisation of contesting candidates on February 16.For the first phase election, 6019 absentee voters including 913 persons with disability (PwD) and 5106 voters above the age of 80 years have been approved and for the second phase, 348 PwDs and 2339 people above the age of 80 years totalling 2687 number of absentee voters have been approved for issue of postal ballot papers by the respective ROs.
Further, the Election Commission of India (ECI) allows postal ballot facility to all voters on election duty.
In case they are put on election duty in the same constituency in which they are enrolled as a voter they are entitled to get an Election Duty Certificate (EDC), which entitles them to vote at the polling station where they are posted on duty.
If they are on duty in a constituency other than the constituency where they are enrolled as a voter, they are entitled to a postal ballot (PB).
The release directed the district election officers and superintendents of police to appoint nodal officers to coordinate all activities related to facilitating the exercise of franchise by officials on election duty in their respective districts.
The nodal officers will ensure that these applications in Form 12 and 12A with the electoral roll details duly entered and signed by official/person are sent to the RO concerned at least seven days before the date of polling so that EDC or PB, can be issued after making necessary entries in the marked copy of the electoral roll.
District Election Officer concerned will appoint one senior officer as in-charge of postal balloting at each Facilitation centre.
PB paper is to be issued in person.
Every voter will cast his or her postal ballot in the Facilitation Ballot Box after marking it and sealing it in envelopes, it added.
CEO Manipur stated that all recognised political parties will be informed in writing the schedule of facilitation of postal balloting at the Facilitation Centres.
They will be allowed to send their representatives to witness the facilitation process at the Facilitation Centres.
The entire process of postal balloting will be videographed.
Voters on election duty generally cast their PB at the facilitation centres where they will be attending their training and they should be encouraged to use their rights at that place only.
However, there may be some cases where either such employees are not able to attend the training on the days when this voting is arranged or they are posted outside the district.
In such cases RO should send the PB at their address by registered post and return by post itself, it said.
The release continued that no ballot paper can be issued after the stage of preparing marked copy of electoral roll for supply to the presiding officers for conduct of poll.
Once a postal ballot paper is issued to a voter on election duty, he/she can vote only through the PB even if the official is exempted/not deployed on election duty.
CEO Manipur further reiterated that PB will be issued in person.
Every voter will cast his or her PB in the facilitation ballot box.
Those voters who could not come and cast vote at the facilitation centre/dispatch centre, they can vote only by posts.
No drop box facility will be available in the office of the ROs.
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