New Delhi, March 19: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a special initiative to facilitate postal voting for Senior Citizens aged 85 and above, persons with disabilities (PWD), service voters, and those on election duty for the upcoming assembly elections. This decision was revealed in a press note issued on Wednesday.
Previously, on March 15, the ECI had declared the schedule for the assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Voting in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry will take place in a single phase on April 9, while Tamil Nadu will vote on April 23, and West Bengal will conduct voting in two phases on April 23 and 29. The results for all Elections will be announced on May 4. Approximately 17.4 crore voters will participate across 824 assembly constituencies, with 2.19 lakh polling stations set up.
Under Section 60(c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the commission has notified that senior citizens over 85 years and PWD individuals marked in the electoral rolls can vote from home using postal ballots. These voters can submit their applications to the Returning Officer (RO) through their Booth Level Officer (BLO) by filling out Form 12D within five days of the election notification. The BLO or polling team will collect the votes at home, ensuring complete confidentiality.
This facility is also available for service voters, including those in essential services such as firefighting, health, electricity, traffic, ambulance, aviation, and government road transport. These voters can apply through the designated nodal officer of their department. Voters on election duty and authorized media personnel also fall under the category of absentee voters and can benefit from postal ballots.
Once the list of candidates is finalized, service voters will receive their ballots electronically via the Electronic Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS), eliminating any postal costs. Voters will submit their votes at designated centers, maintaining confidentiality.
All postal ballots must reach the respective ROs by 8 AM on May 4, 2026. The commission has instructed ROs and District Election Officers (DEOs) to inform political parties and candidates about these provisions to ensure maximum eligible voters can take advantage of this facility.