1 week ago
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The process of facilitating polling at home for people identified as eligible for casting their votes from home began in Dharwad Lok Sabha Constituency on Thursday with Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu personally monitoring it at a few locations.
The initiative aimed at increasing polling and ensuring that none is deprived of the opportunity to cast vote began at 7 a.m. And, several senior citizens and persons with disabilities actively participated in it.
Ms. Prabhu herself visited the houses of eligible voters at Kamalapur, Malapur, Sadhanakeri, Doddayakanakoppa, Saraswatpur localities in Dharwad and interacted with the voters who cast their votes from home.
Later, speaking to presspersons after visiting the facilities at polling station set up at School No 4 in Kamalapur, she said that in all, 1,853 voters registered their names for availing themselves of the facility to vote from home and for the purpose of conducting the process, 102 teams led by sector officers were set up.
The process will be carried out on Friday too from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. during which voters above the age of 85 and persons with over 40% disability will be casting their votes. Around 300 voters exercised their franchise by Thursday afternoon, she said.
This apart, a postal ballot centre has been set up at the Dharwad Tahsildar’s office for employees wishing to cast postal ballots. The centre will be open from May 1 to 3 and the voters are requested to get form 12 D and cast their votes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., she said.
Ms. Prabhu said that for the first time, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has set up two postal ballot exchanges in Karnataka and one is in Dharwad. The exchange set up at RLS College in Dharwad will help in conducting the process of casting postal ballots, she said.
Centenarian Shankravva Kalaghatagi (101) of Kamalapur in Dharwad, who has low vision, was one among the several voters who cast their votes from home on Thursday. And, 85-year-old Ulavappa Satyannavar of Malapur Road, physically challenged woman Rekha Madiwal of Doddanayakanakoppa were among some of the others who cast their votes. They all expressed happiness over being able to vote from home.
Nodal officer for postal ballot Mohan Shivannavar, Assistant Returning Officer for Dharwad Assembly segment Shalam Hussain, tahsildar D.H. Hugar and others were present.
