Amir Tantray
Doda, Apr 14: With the formal polling for the first phase of parliamentary elections scheduled to commence on April 19, the polling staff of district Doda took proactive steps to facilitate voting for specially-abled individuals.
A total of 177 specially-abled voters were registered by the authorities in district Doda. Different teams were deployed by the District Electoral Officer (DEO) Doda, Harvinder Singh, to ensure that every special voter could cast their votes through secret postal ballots.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) allocated two days, April 14 and 15, for these voters nationwide to cast their votes through secret postal ballots from the comfort of their homes.
An official from the electoral office said, “We have ensured that all 177 specially-abled voters cast their votes today, and tomorrow, 10 people who are behind bars or under preventive custody will cast their votes through secret ballots.”
One of the voters who cast his vote at home was Zia-ul-Haq Butt, a teacher who became paralysed in an accident in 2014 while on his way to his place of posting in the Bhgwah area of district Doda.
A polling team, comprising polling officers and accompanied by security officials, visited his home in Doda town near Government Girls Higher Secondary School Doda to assist him in casting his vote through postal ballots.
“I cast my vote and feel happy about it, being among the first few voters who have exercised their franchise ahead of the scheduled polling day,” Zia-ul-Haq said.
This polling team was assigned the task of reaching out to different areas and managed to facilitate voting for five specially-abled individuals who were either bedridden or unable to leave their homes due to their special abilities.
Doda is part of the Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary constituency, and formal polling is scheduled for April 19, during which more than 16.22 lakh voters will exercise their franchise to elect the new Member of Parliament (MP).
