Insta
Elections Have Begun: ITBP Soldiers Cast First Vote For Lok Sabha 2019 in Arunachal Pradesh Using Secret Postal Ballots
ITBP personnel (Representative Image) (Source: @ITBP_official/Twitter)
Voting for Lok Sabha polls has already begun even though the official schedule for general public begins only on 11 April 2019.
The soldiers of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) cast their votes for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday starting at 10 am as service voters using the facility of secret postal ballot, reports Economic Times.
The first round of voting began at ITBP's Animal Training School (ATS) located at Lohitpur in Arunachal Pradesh. The first vote of the country was cast by DIG Sudhakar Natarajan, head of ATS ITBP.
Since 2016, the Election Commission has been taking dedicated steps to bolster the count of service voters in the election process. It has carried out extensive awareness campaigns through electronic, social, print and other media to ensure maximum participation in these Lok Sabha polls.
This year, the Election Commission expects roughly 30 lakh participants including the defence and paramilitary forces, some of whom also have their families living with them at the bases. This would probably be the first time that such a large number of service voters count is expected.
Ballot papers have been despatched to Uttrakhand, Gujarat, Bengaluru, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and many other places for the service personnel to vote.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
