KOLKATA: The Election Commission on Tuesday said central paramilitary personnel will visit elderly voters at home to collect postal ballots.
The EC has allowed octogenarians to opt for postal ballots amid the Covid pandemic. There are around 1.5 lakh such voters in Bengal who have taken up the option. EC officials said central forces would also assist persons with physical disabilities to cast their postal votes. They suggested that while 495 companies of central forces have already been allocated to Bengal, the number may go up to 800.
Since law and order is a state subject, central forces can assist the administration.“We are trying to plug gaps in coordination. The EC’s role here is aimed at making a person confident to cast his or her vote without fear,” an official said.