Following the introduction of the 'Vote From Home' option by the Election Commission of India (ECI), allowing those above the age of 85 and those with 40 percent or above disabilities, to exercise their franchise without going to the polling booth, some 355 voters have utilised the facility in Noida.
Gautam Budh Nagar constituency in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26.
But for those who opted for home voting, election officials have already collected their votes.
On Monday, some 355 such people cast their vote in the Gautam Budh Nagar constituency. The exercise continued on Tuesday as well.?
According to reports, there are more than 20,000 voters belonging to the two categories. Out of this, 424 had opted to vote from home.
The Election Commission, while announcing the Lok Sabha polls schedule, unveiled the 'Vote From Home' scheme, designed to facilitate the participation of citizens aged 85 and above and individuals with more than 40 per cent disabilities in the elections.
This is among the several measures taken by the ECI this time to increase voter participation.
The Election Commission of India has set up more than 200 polling stations within housing societies in the urban areas of Uttar Pradesh to increase voter turnout in the state.
Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said the poll body is targeting urban areas that have registered a low voter turnout in the past and expressed that Uttar Pradesh will secure the first position as far as voting percentage is concerned.
"In urban areas, we have undertaken a new initiative of setting up polling stations within gated communities and multi-storeyed housing societies where there has been a low voter turnout in the past," he said.
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