CHENNAI: The Election Commission of India has directed district electoral officers to arrange public transport facilities for persons with disabilities on election day.
The DEOs will facilitate transportation for persons with disability in consultation with the respective District Differently Abled Welfare Officers. However, the arrangements will be made considering the feasibility in the localities, Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said here on Friday.
Sahoo said one person will be deployed at every poll booth to help disabled persons cast their vote and two persons would be deployed to regulate the crowd to ensure social distancing in compliance with Covid 19 guidelines.
To monitor election expenses, the Election Commission has deputed 118 expenditure observers for 234 Assembly constituencies and one person for the Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha bypoll.
Elaborating on the election arrangements, Sahoo said provisions have been made for people to pay for their deposits electronically. “The candidates can download the nomination forms from the official website of the commission and pay the deposit online. However, the nomination forms have to be submitted physically,” he said.
In the meanwhile, the Election Commission has allowed all group A and B officers, who have been permitted to attest the certificates and other documents, to sign the voters' declaration forms while casting votes through postal ballots.
The EC said the classification system of gazetted and non-gazetted has been abolished and all the group A and B officers can sign the voters’ declaration forms.
The move came after government school teachers alleged that they were running from pillar to post to get the signature of gazettes officers to access the postal vote facility. This apart, the EC also decided to allow voters above the age of 80, persons with disabilities and Covid 19 patients to cast the vote through postal ballots.