EC defends decision to allow postal votes for above 65 years

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Wednesday defended its decision to allow voters above 65 years and COVID-19 positive and suspect people to cast postal votes, saying it was done to their exposure in public and not deprive them of their voting rights. The EC'S response came as CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury shot off a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Monday objecting to taking “unilateral” measures without consulting parties and warning that these could lead to instances of “manipulation and malpractice” resulting in “potential favour of the ruling party”.

The EC had allowed people above the age of 80 years last October and those above 64 years and COVID-19 affected people postal votes in June. In response to Yechury, Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar said that the Representation of the

People Act, 1951 allowed the EC to decide on the postal vote in consultation with the government.

On extending services to all those above 64 years, Bhushan said, “The EC considered the “extraordinary situation” due to COVID-19 to “minimise their exposure in public and yet not deprive them of their voting rights.”

Bhushan also said that EC has held a meeting with parties in Bihar, where assembly election is due later this year, and directed them to limit the number of voters in each polling station to 1,000 and create auxiliary polling stations in the same locality so that social distancing norms are enforced during voting.