Lok Sabha 2024: Today, Rajasthan is poised to experience a historic event as it introduces home voting for the inaugural phase of Lok Sabha elections. Breaking new ground, the Election Commission has unveiled ‘vote-from-home‘ options, extending this privilege to senior citizens aged 85 and above, as well as voters with disabilities exceeding 40 percent.

Earlier, Praveen Gupta, the chief electoral officer of Rajasthan, disclosed that over 58,000 voters in the state have chosen the ‘home voting’ option, with 35,542 individuals enrolling for the initial phase of Lok Sabha elections. Gupta emphasized that this initiative aims to enhance the inclusivity of the electoral process.

Among the registered voters for the first phase, 26,371 are senior citizens, while 9,171 are individuals with disabilities.

Last week, the chief electoral officer reported that more than 58,000 eligible voters have chosen to cast their votes from home, encompassing 43,638 senior citizens and 14,385 persons with disabilities.

Specially designated polling teams, accompanied by representatives from political parties and candidates, will facilitate voting through postal ballots at the residences of registered home voters during the first phase of elections, scheduled from April 5 to 14.

Additionally, registration for the second phase concluded on April 2, with approximately 22,500 eligible voters opting for ‘vote-from-home,’ including 17,324 senior citizens and 5,222 voters with disabilities.

Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta highlighted the success of home voting during the 2023 Assembly elections in Rajasthan, where nearly 99 percent of the 61,022 registered voters utilized this service.

Now, this facility is being extended for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Voting in Rajasthan will occur in two phases, on April 19 and April 26. The first phase will cover 12 Lok Sabha constituencies, while the remaining 13 seats will go to polls in the second phase.