PASIGHAT/YUPIA/LIKABALI, 11 Apr: Eighty-seven-year-old Tamur Tatak of Rani village was among the 41 electors aged above 85 years and differently-abled who cast their votes from home for the simultaneous polls in East Siang district.
Retired Assam Rifles soldier Tatak, who fought against China during the Sino-Indi war in 1962, was severely injured by a Chinese grenade explosion, and is unable to walk and hear.
Tatak praised the district administration for facilitating home-voting.
For home-voting, polling personnel visited the voters’ residences from 8 to 10 April and accepted their votes in ballot papers. Citizens aged 85 years and above, and those with a minimum of 40 percent disability were provided the facility.
“The active participation of elderly voters underscores the significance of democratic engagement in the upcoming simultaneous elections,” said DC-cum-DEO Tayi Taggu.
Taggu said that East Siang is fully prepared for the “biggest festival of democracy,” and emphasised the importance of conducting the elections with utmost transparency, fairness and efficiency.
He urged all the officers and employees entrusted to election duties to ensure that the electoral process proceeds smoothly and without discrepancies.
Meanwhile, based on ECI guidelines, phase-wise training has been imparted to all the officials,including magistrates and police personnel (entrusted to election duties).
The process of commissioning of EVMs and the SVEEP campaign has also been completed and webcasting arrangement has been made in the district.
“So far, 868 persons have applied for postal ballots,”the DEO said.
The expenditure observer and the general observer assigned by the ECI are stationed at Pasighat and are closely monitoring the developments.
“The situation is absolutely under control and no untoward incident has been reported so far,” the DEO said.
Meanwhile, the flying squads and the static surveillance teams, along with police had seized Rs 36,24,400 and in cash and IMFL worth Rs 7,10,556 during naka and surprise checkings in the district till the filing of this report.
According to an election office source, a total of 48,946 eligible voters are set to determine the fate of three MLA seats and one MP seat in the district. (DIPRO)
In Papum Pare district, the voting process began on Thursday with the casting of votes through postal ballot and home voting.
A total of 13 voters under the Arunachal Pradesh West parliamentary constituency segments, viz, 13-Itanagar assembly segment (13 voters), 14-Doimukh assembly segment (10 voters), and 15-Sagalee assembly segment (1 voter), who are above 85 years old and who had opted for home voting in the categories of absentee voters senior citizen (AVSC) and absentee voter PWD (AVPD) voters cast their votes through the home-voting process.
The postal voting for the 5,526 government employees from other districts who are posted in Papum Pare and engaged in election duty commenced at the Golden Jubilee outdoor stadium in Yupia on Thursday. The postal voting will be held till 5 pm of 14 April.
In Lower Siang district, the casting of postal ballot by the officials engaged on election duty began on Thursday in Likabali.
As per the schedule announced earlier, the process will continue for the next two days. (DIPROs)
