The Election Commission of India (ECI) will facilitate postal ballot voting for elderly citizens, persons with disabilities (PwD), and service voters in the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, as well as bye-elections in eight Assembly constituencies across six states and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
The provision, made under Section 60(c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, allows electors aged 85 years and above, along with voters with benchmark disabilities, to cast their vote through postal ballot. These electors can avail of the facility by submitting Form 12D to the Returning Officer through their Booth Level Officer (BLO) within five days from the date of the election notification. Designated polling teams will then visit the homes of such voters to collect their ballots.
The Commission has also extended the postal ballot facility to electors engaged in essential services on the day of polling. These include personnel in fire services, healthcare, electricity supply, traffic management, ambulance services, aviation, and long-distance government road transport corporations. Eligible voters from these sectors can apply through a designated nodal officer in their respective departments.
Media persons authorized by the Commission to cover polling day have also been brought under the category of absentee voters on essential duty, making them eligible for postal ballots.
For service voters, postal ballots will be transmitted electronically through the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) immediately after the final list of contesting candidates is published. These voters will not be required to bear the cost of postal delivery.
The Commission has directed Returning Officers and District Election Officers to brief political parties and contesting candidates about the postal ballot provisions and procedures.
ECI, on October 6, announced that the Bihar Assembly elections will be conducted in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting of votes to take place on November 14.