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NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday allowed mediapersons on duties relating to poll day coverage, to vote through postal ballot in the current general election. This is the first Lok Sabha poll when postal ballot facility will be extended to journalists; all those who covered the past general elections were denied the right to vote by virtue of being away from their respective polling stations.
Keen to make the polls inclusive and as promised by chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar while announcing polls on Saturday, the EC on Tuesday, after consulting the state/UT administrations, issued a notification adding mediapersons to the list of ‘absentee voters on essential service’ or the “class of persons to give vote by postal ballot” under Section 60(c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. This notification would apply to polls to the Lok Sabha and four state assembly elections, as well as all the byelections announced on Saturday.
Statewise/UT-wise lists of ‘class of persons’ eligible to vote by postal ballot in the current general election were put out by EC in annexures to the notification. The postal ballot facility was extended to mediapersons in past few state elections.
Mediapersons who opt for postal ballot facility would essentially be ones issued authorisation letters with EC approval, to cover polling day activities. Such authorisation letters are routinely issued by EC, through nodal agencies like the Press Information Bureau, to mediapersons well in advance.
Journalists will need to approach the returning officer (RO) of their respective constituency intimating their wish to avail of postal ballot facility. After seeing the authorisation letter issued with EC approval or possibly the PIB or state accreditation card, the RO, either directly or through a nodal agency, will get him to sign Form 12D. A postal ballot may be collected thereafter; this may be mailed back by the mediapersons to the RO office, after marking the preferred candidate.
Keen to make the polls inclusive and as promised by chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar while announcing polls on Saturday, the EC on Tuesday, after consulting the state/UT administrations, issued a notification adding mediapersons to the list of ‘absentee voters on essential service’ or the “class of persons to give vote by postal ballot” under Section 60(c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. This notification would apply to polls to the Lok Sabha and four state assembly elections, as well as all the byelections announced on Saturday.
Statewise/UT-wise lists of ‘class of persons’ eligible to vote by postal ballot in the current general election were put out by EC in annexures to the notification. The postal ballot facility was extended to mediapersons in past few state elections.
Mediapersons who opt for postal ballot facility would essentially be ones issued authorisation letters with EC approval, to cover polling day activities. Such authorisation letters are routinely issued by EC, through nodal agencies like the Press Information Bureau, to mediapersons well in advance.
Journalists will need to approach the returning officer (RO) of their respective constituency intimating their wish to avail of postal ballot facility. After seeing the authorisation letter issued with EC approval or possibly the PIB or state accreditation card, the RO, either directly or through a nodal agency, will get him to sign Form 12D. A postal ballot may be collected thereafter; this may be mailed back by the mediapersons to the RO office, after marking the preferred candidate.
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