Kolkata, April 16 -- Over 1.85 lakh electors in West Bengal have been approved by the Election Commission for home voting, with the process for the first phase commencing on Thursday.
A total of 90,521 electors will cast their votes from home ahead of the first phase of polling on April 23, covering 152 Assembly constituencies.
The facility is available to voters aged 85 years and above and persons with Disabilities (PwD) with 40 per cent or more disability, subject to possession of valid certificates. Eligible electors had applied through the Commission's website and approvals were granted accordingly.
District-wise, North 24-Parganas accounts for the highest number of home voters at 25,170, followed by East Midnapore with 20,935 and another figure of 19,363 also reported from North 24-Parganas. For the first phase, however, East Midnapore will have the highest number of home voters, with 16,663 aged above 85 and 4,272 PwD electors.
Kalimpong has the lowest number of such voters at 977, followed by South Dinajpur with 1,869. In Kolkata North and Kolkata South, the figures stand at 2,755 and 3,079, respectively.
Each home voting team comprises a polling official, the Booth Level Officer, a videographer, two Central Force jawans, two police personnel and a micro observer. Booth-level agents may also be present. Votes cast through this process are counted as postal ballots. The system, first introduced during the 2021 Assembly polls amid Covid protocols and continued in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, marks the third instance of home voting in the state.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.