Vote from home: 8 lakh forms distributed but 20K opt for EC initiative

There are over 9.87 lakh voters aged over 80 years, and an additional 4.03 lakh voters with disabilities, on Gujarat's electoral rolls.

Among the first to vote from home was Jamsaheb Shatrushalya Sinhji of Jamnagar, who voted from his residence on November 1, in the presence of the deputy district collector. (Representational/File)

So far, only 20,804 electors have opted for the Election Commission’s “vote-from-home” initiative — introduced for the first time in Gujarat —where voters above 80 years of age or with disabilities can vote in the forthcoming Assembly polls from their homes.

“Of the 8 lakh forms distributed, we have received only 20,804 forms till the end of last week,” said an EC official. That means only around 2.6 per cent of the forms were filled and returned. To encourage people to vote from their homes, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Gujarat had distributed close to eight lakh Form 12D. Interested electorates had to fill and submit them to the authorities, if they planned to cast their votes from the comfort of their homes.

There are over 9.87 lakh voters aged over 80 years, and an additional 4.03 lakh voters with disabilities, on Gujarat’s electoral rolls. Voters of both these categories, including those adversely affected by Covid-19, have been allowed to avail the facility. Their votes will be considered as postal ballots.

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“The process of voting from home has begun, and by the end of last week, 3,300 votes were cast already,” the EC official said. This process is expected to continue and finish two days ahead of the polls. “For Phase 1, voting from home will end on November 29. For Phase 2, it will end on December 3,” the official added.

Among the first to vote from home was Jamsaheb Shatrushalya Sinhji of Jamnagar, who voted from his residence on November 1, in the presence of the deputy district collector. He was among 442 voters in Jamnagar district who had registered to vote from home. Appreciating the effort, PM Narendra Modi had tweeted: “I commend Jam Saheb Shri Shatrusalyasinji for this remarkable passion towards the festival of democracy. Inspired by him, I hope Gujarat witnesses a record turnout, particularly among young and first-time voters.”

In an official release, the Commission said Suresh Bhatt—a retired government official living in Sector 1 in the state capital Gandhinagar, who turns 85 in December—had voted from home on Sunday, after a Booth Level Officer and other officials visited his residence.