KOLKATA: As Bhowanipore gets ready to vote again almost after five months amidst a rain forecast on Thursday, some 650-odd elderly voters in the constituency wouldn’t have to worry about Covid, standing in long queues and braving the inclement weather as they have already cast their votes from the comfort of their home last week.
Between September 22 and 24, polling personnel recruited by the Election Commission of India visited multiple households in the constituency, facilitating the voters aged above 80 years and those suffering from disability to vote at home on postal ballot.
While the facility had started during the assembly election this year, voters had to apply for postal ballot system. This time, however, ECI officials visited the houses of elderly people and asked them whether they wanted to vote from home.
Jharna Bhattacharya, an 82-year-old Harish Mukherjee Road resident, had skipped casting her vote for the first time on April 26 this year as she was too panicked to step out amidst the pandemic. She had hoped to skip it again but this time she could vote from the comfort of her bedroom.
“My mother hadn’t voted last time as she was scared of stepping out due to the pandemic. But this time, she had voted happily from home. ECI officials came to our house around 10 days ago and asked her if she wanted to vote from home on a postal ballot. She agreed and voted while sitting on her bed last Wednesday,” said Sukhdeb Bhattacharya (60).
Purnendu Mukherjee (83), a resident of Kedar Bose Lane and a retired travel agent, too, was elated with the facility and relieved that he wouldn’t need to stand in a queue to vote for the second time in around five months. “The entire process was very smooth and I could cast the vote sitting in my drawing room. I didn’t have to go anywhere and my vote was cast — that too before any of my other family members,” said Mukherjee.
The octogenarian was, however, miffed that his 75-year-old wife was denied the right to vote on postal ballot even though he requested the officials. “They should revise the age category and bring it down to at least 75. Now I may be safe but my wife will have to go to the polling booth and cast her vote,” he rued.
A senior women’s group in Bhowanipore — Mahila Mahal — has appealed to the EC that the postal ballot should have an age relaxation for women. Chartered accountant Kishorebhai Dattani said that many elderly members would have been benefited had the postal ballot been better publicised.
“So many would have been benefited by voting from home. I pray that the administration reaches out to more people next time,” Dattani said.
As per the postal ballot system, two polling personnel, a videographer, a police officer and a member of the Central Armed Police Force visit a household. Polling agents of different parties can be present as well. However, indelible ink is not applied on the fingers of the voters.
Of the 2,06,389 voters in the constituency, only 1,26,592 had cast their votes at polling booths on April 26 and 784 exercised their franchise through postal ballots.
Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay won and later resigned to vacate the seat for Mamata Banerjee. Chattopadhyay won the seat by securing 57.7% votes while BJP candidate, actor Rudranil Ghosh, came second with 35.2%.
