1.42 lakh voters make use of home voting facility

A little over 1.42 lakh elderly citizens and di¦erently abled individuals have so far cast their votes in the State using the home voting facility extended by the Election Commission of India for the Lok Sabha elections.

The number constitutes 81% of the voters above 85 years and eligible voters in the persons with disabilities (PwD) category who had opted for the home voting facility, Chief Electoral OŸcer Sanjay Kaul said on Sunday.

The ‘home voting’ facility is open till April 25.

Of the 1,42,799 voters who have so far exercised their franchise from their homes, 1,02,285 are in the 85-plus category while

PwD voters account for 40,514 votes.

The optional home voting is open to voters above 85 years of age and PwD voters with 40% benchmark disability.

Suspensions

The encouraging turnout also comes amid suspensions slapped on polling of‘cials in a number of districts for irregularities detected in the course of the mammoth exercise.

Last week, four polling oŸcials were suspended on charges of failure to prevent ‘outside interference’ during the casting of a 92year-old woman’s vote at Kalliassery, Kannur.

On Sunday, the Pathanamthitta District Collector suspended three oŸcials, including a booth-level oŸcer, in connection with a complaint regarding ‘vote fraud.’

Hard work by ocials

Polling oŸcials have also grabbed headlines for the hard work and eŸciency that has gone into making the exercise a success story.

Last week, a special polling team had trudged 18 km inside deep forest to record the home vote a 92year-old bedridden man at Edamalakkudy in Idukki.

The casting of vote by a 111-year-old woman in the Kasaragod constituency also had made news, Mr. Kaul said.

All steps had been taken to ensure that the home voting process was completed in a transparent manner, he said.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has approached the Press Council of India against Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] oŸcial newspaper Deshabhimani demanding that the council take immediate action against the daily for “posting exceedingly derogatory, obscene, and baseless news” about the leaders of the Indian National Congress in Kerala and referring to the party as “Porngress.”

The said news story had been published by Deshabhimani on April 18.

Mr. Satheesan pointed out that the article accused the Congress party of spearheading an obscene campaign against the Left Democratic Front candidates. To label a party that had contributed to the Independence movement with ‘lthy and disparaging language was an unforgivable o¦ence that must be stopped at all costs, the complaint by Mr. Satheesan said.

The caricature that accompanied the article titled “Porngress Cyber Media,” features photographs of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, Leader of the Opposition in Kerala, United Democratic Front candidate in the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency, and others holding a digital device, indicating that they are spreading extremely derogatory morphed porn videos.

Mr. Satheesan requested the council to take urgent action against Deshabhimani.

1,02,285 people in the 85-plus category and 40,514 PwD voters make use of the facility so far

K.K. MUSTAFAH Spoilt for choice: Election campaign materials of opposing fronts on display at a shop in Palakkad on Sunday. Masks, T-shirts, balloons, and caps with emblems of major political parties and faces of prominent political leaders are in demand.