EC won’t extend postal ballot facility to people over the age of 65 in Bihar

Opposition parties had raised concerns, even calling the proposal ‘unconstitutional’. But EC has cited logistical constraints for not extending the facility.

Representational image of voters at a polling booth | Photo: ANI

New Delhi: After protests from several opposition parties, the Election Commission (EC) has decided not to extend the postal voting facility to people over 65 years of age in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.

In a press note, the EC said it decided not to extend the facility “in view of constraints of logistics, manpower and safety protocols of Covid-19”.

Earlier this month, the EC had announced that it would allow those above the age of 65 as well as those under home or institutional quarantine to vote using postal ballots, to ensure that vulnerable people are not made to go to polling booths to exercise their franchise.

The provision and rule changes so far

Postal voting is a provision granted to a restricted number of voters who can cast their vote remotely by recording their preferences on the ballot paper and sending it back to the election officer before counting.

Last year, on the recommendation of the EC, the central government had amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to allow senior citizens above the age of 80 and people with disabilities in the ‘absentee voter’ list. An ‘absentee voter’ is one who cannot physically come to the polling booth to cast the vote, but does it via postal ballot.

However, in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the EC had asked the government to extend this provision for those above the age of 65.

Earlier this month, the Centre notified the Conduct of Elections (Amendment) Rules, 2020, for extending the postal ballot facility to electors above 65 years of age, and those who are Covid-positive and are under home or institutional quarantine.

Opposition parties’ objections

At least five parties — the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), CPI, CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) — had raised concerns over the move to extend postal voting to over-65s, with some of them terming it “unconstitutional”.

The Congress, for example, argued that postal ballots violate secrecy in voting, since illiterate voters could seek assistance from others, thereby disclosing their preferred candidate.

In its press note, however, the EC, which has been hearing the grievances of these parties, has made no mention of the opposition to the move, and instead cited logistical issues.

“Commission has already limited the number of electors to one thousand for each polling station for ease of voting, especially for elderly and vulnerable sections of electors, in Covid-19 situations,” it stated.

“In view of this, the state is creating additional 34,000 (approximately) polling stations (45 per cent more), which will increase the total number of polling stations to around 1,06,000. This would entail formidable logistical challenges of mobilising 1.8 lakh more polling personnel and other additional resources including requirement of much larger number of vehicles in the state of Bihar. Similar challenges would be there for the coming by-elections also,” it added.

The EC did, however, clarify that the “facility of optional postal ballot” will be extended to “electors who are above 80 years of age, PwD (persons with disabilities) voters, the electors engaged in essential services and voters who are Covid-19 positive/suspect in quarantine (home/institutional)”.