‘Seniors will benefit greatly from vote-from-home facility’

When a team of boothlevel officers BLO arrived at the doorstep of Laxman Madhavrao Shastrakar 90 on Wednesday afternoon at Vithal Mandir ward he asked why he should exercise his franchise that day when the rest of the Chandrapur electorate would vote on April 19 Smiling one of the team members explained that this was a convenient facility provided to himOnly when the team assured him his vote would be securely recorded did the nonagenarian cast his voteAs teams of BLOs went doortodoor across Chandrapur to record these votes midday accompanied them and spoke to elderly voters about their experiencesParvatibai Bankar 97yearold Chandrapur resident Kamal Baburao Shastrakar 88 a retired teacher Laxman Madhavrao Shastrakar who will turn 91 in two monthsldquoI will be turning 91 in just two months and I can no longer walk independently I rely on my walking stick or someone to assist me Last election I managed to reach the voting centre in someonersquos car but unfortunately my wife couldnrsquot accompany me and she missed the opportunity While some polling booths across the country offer facilities for senior citizens and disabled individuals many others do not Dealing with crowds noise and standing for long hours has become increasingly challenging for me especially considering my frequent need to use the restroom This new facility will greatly benefit senior citizens like myselfrdquo said ShastrakarldquoInitially Shastrakar was adamant that he would only vote on April 19 and from his home We explained to him that this was not possible as we wouldnrsquot be able to visit him on the voting day However after his wife and others from the team persuaded him he cast his voterdquo said Prakash Holambe a teacher and BLOShastrakarrsquos wife Anjanabai 87 said ldquoMany senior citizens skip voting because of their health I cannot walk and have lost at least 70 per cent of my vision toordquolsquoWas intrigued by facilityrsquoA relative of the couple Kamal Baburao Shastrakar 88 a retired teacher said ldquoI would have taken an autorickshaw to reach the polling booths However a few days ago people from the election commission came and asked if I would like to vote from home Initially I thought lsquoHow is it possiblersquo voting being such a sensitive thing I still consented out of curiosity It was interesting to see their arrangements They actually created a makeshift polling facility They took my thumb impression and sealed it securelyrdquoBaburao Padgelwar left 92 with his son Ghanshyam 71 and granddaughter at their residenceBaburao Padgelwar 92 has been bedridden for the past few years with limited hearing and speech abilities During the last election Padgelwarrsquos son Ghanshyam 71 had to arrange for him to be taken to the polling booth in an auto and find a place for him to sit until he could vote ldquoItrsquos quite a hassle and more importantly itrsquos very inconvenient for my father I believe very few people have been added to the list to avail of the votefromhome facility so far Being aware of this we opted for it My father has never missed voting in any election he is very particular about this Irsquom glad he could vote this time too and from homerdquo he remarkedAsked since when he had been voting Padgelwar reminisced with his son about Abdul Shafee being elected as the MP Shafee a Congress leader won the seat in 1971 when it was known as ChandaRelatives Manjulabai Baburao Bankar 92 and Parvatibai Sitaram Bankar 97 also availed themselves of the votefromhome facility ldquoI never imagined I could cast my vote from my bedroom When they told me earlier that I did not have to visit the polling booth I thought they would create a makeshift one near my home and call senior citizens from nearby areas to cast their votes there This was even better The officials came to my home and I could cast my vote sitting on my bedrdquo said Parvatibai who has been bedridden for the past few years nowNew initiativeThe Election Commission of India ECI announced a panIndia facility wherein around 13 lakh voters above 85 years old in Maharashtra could opt to vote from home if they did not wish to or are unable to go to polling booths The process had been tried out for assembly elections in other states and bypollsAs per Dr Sachin Khandale naibtehsildar Chandrapur there are 2300 85plusyearold registered voters in Chandrapur city ldquoWe created a list and asked the BLOs to survey the areas and get their consent for voting from home Of the 2300 some consented while many said they would want to vote at the polling booth Some were not found at home while a few have passed All that has been updated As per the survey 191 people availed the facility of which 175 were senior citizens about 85 years of age the remaining 16 were people with disabilities PwDrdquo Khandale saidBetween Tuesday and Wednesday in Chandrapur city 121 85plusyearolds managed to cast their votes from the comfort of their homes of which 58 votes were recorded on TuesdayAn officer from the state election office explained ldquoDistrict election officers were tasked with identifying such elderly voters after which BLOs would visit their homes to provide them with the option to fill out Form 12 D consenting to avail the facility to vote from home This process would be completed at least a week ahead of the polling daterdquoProcess explainedAccording to data from the state election office of the 13 lakh voters above 85 years the highest number reside in Pune district at 124 lakh followed by Mumbai Suburban at 98085ldquoA special team comprising BLOs and officials has been formed to distribute and collect ballots from the homes of these voters after notifying them a day in advance Once elderly voters opt for this facility they cannot visit the polling booth If the team visits their homes twice and does not find them present their names are marked under the voterfromhome facility and they cannot voterdquo Khandale saidThe votefromhome initiative in the region commenced on April 9 and will conclude on April 11 Expounding on the process and his teamrsquos implementation efforts Khandale stated ldquoWe have established 10 squads tasked with assisting senior citizens and PwD to cast their votes from home Each team has been provided with a detailed roadmap of the surveyed area and the homes they are assigned to visit We have prioritised transparency and safety throughout the processrdquoSquad goalsHe continued ldquoEach squad comprises two polling officers two to three BLOs a microobserver a videographer and a police staffer These teams have undergone thorough training to ensure the safety and security of the process and have been equipped with voting compartments which they will set up at each household they visit After marking their vote on the postal ballot inside the compartment voters will seal the ballot paper in an envelope before handing it over to the polling officer The squad will then obtain the voterrsquos signature on a declaration form before departing This process is designed to be transparent and will guarantee a secure voting processrdquo1300000No of voters above 85 years in state