Over 38,000 senior citizens and persons with disabilities eligible to cast postal ballots in Tiruchi district

About 38,700 senior citizens, above the age of 85, and persons with disabilities, with more than 40% disability, are eligible to exercise their franchise through postal ballots from their homes in Tiruchi district.

The nine Assembly constituencies in the district had 16,327 senior citizens above the age of 85 and 22,406 persons with disabilities (with more than 40% disability), Collector and District Election Officer V.Saravanan said in a press release.

They can exercise the option by submitting the application forms (Form 12D) which would be distributed to them by Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Distribution of the forms to the eligible electors are under way in the district, he said.

The filled in forms should be handed over to the BLOs within five days. Those who have exercised the option cannot vote at the polling stations. Persons with disabilities should submit the disability certificate issued by a qualified medical practitioner.

BLOs would visit the houses of the eligible voters twice and if the electors were not available on both occasions it would be deemed that they were not interested in exercising the option. All necessary arrangements would be made for the electors, who had chosen the option, to cast their votes through postal ballots from their homes, Mr. Saravanan said.