BHUBANESWAR: BJP on Saturday claimed around 70 per cent of government employees engaged in election duty have been unable to exercise their franchise due to delay in delivery of requisite documents along with postal ballot paper by the returning officer concerned.
As per information provided by the chief electoral officer (CEO), only 31,000 postal ballots were received after two phases of elections in the state.
Senior BJP leader and former state party president Samir Mohanty said the number is marginal as a large number of government officials on election duty have not received forms 13 B and 13 C within the specified time. Mohanty said at least 10 officials are engaged on election duty in a booth.
In the third phase, voting took place in 10,700 booths. More than one lakh government employees were on election duty. “How is it possible that only 31,000 voters cast their votes through postal ballots when so many of them were on duty outside their Assembly constituencies,” he asked. Mohanty further said voters on election duty had duly applied through form 12 to the returning officer for postal ballot paper and other documents which were supposed to reach them at least seven days before the date of polling.
“It has come to our notice that many of the officials on election duty have not received postal ballot papers. We urged the CEO to ensure all officials who have been drafted for last phase of election on June 1 cast their votes through postal ballots,” he said.