Lukewarm response from home voters in 6-seat bypolls on Nov 13
Times of India | 8 November 2024
Kolkata: The upcoming assembly bypolls in six constituencies, scheduled for Nov 13, have seen a lukewarm response from eligible home voters.
The Election Commission identified 11,214 potential home voters, comprising senior citizens above 85 years and persons with disabilities. However, only 2,003 voters, representing just 17.8%, applied for home voting.
This low figure could suggest voter fatigue as they would be voting twice in 2024, potentially leading to a reduced turnout, an official said.
An EC official suggested that many eligible voters might prefer to exercise their franchise at polling stations, explaining their decision not to register for home voting. In Bankura's Taldangra, despite having the highest number of potential home voters at 4,270 (2,630 above 85 years and 1,640 with disabilities), only 728 opted for home voting. The EC approved 722 of these applications.
In Midnapore, out of 2,029 eligible home voters, 245 applications were received and approved, with 213 being senior citizens. Haroa demonstrated the best response, with 180 out of 185 eligible voters choosing to vote from home. The Naihati assembly showed similar enthusiasm, where 215 out of 260 senior citizens and 36 out of 92 physically challenged voters opted for home voting, totalling 251 home voters.
In Alipurduar's Madarihat, only 242 out of 1,902 eligible voters requested home voting facilities. Sitai in Cooch Behar registered 363 home voting requests from its 2,476 eligible voters. This included 121 senior citizens from a pool of 1,370 and 242 physically challenged voters.
An EC official said that home voting for the bypolls had started and it would close by Nov 10. The votes would be counted on Nov 23. Bengal's additional chief electoral officer Arindam Niyogi said arrangements had been made for home voting of 2,003 voters and the process was ongoing.
At 105 years, Mandakini Pandey, a home voter in Midnapore, said she had never missed any vote since independence and felt this facility was a great help for the elderly and those with mobility issues.
(Inputs by Sujoy Khanra in Midnapore & Pinak Priya Bhattacharya in Jalpaiguri)