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People working in essential services and media will be allowed to cast their votes through postal ballots in the upcoming Assembly elections in Goa and the other four poll-bound states, according to a notification issued on Monday by the Election Commission of India.
According to the notification, the personnel employed in Information and Public Relation Department, Health and Family Welfare Department including emergency and ambulance services, Postal and Traffic departments, Railway, Electricity, Civil Aviation Departments, Metro Rail Corporation of Uttar Pradesh, Doordarshan, All India Radio and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited are eligible to exercise their franchise using postal ballots as 'Absentee Voters' in the Assembly elections of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
The Commission have directed the Chief Electoral Officers of all the five states to inform the electors of the concerned departments about the news, and that they may nominate a "Nodal Officer" to facilitate the use of the postal ballot.
"The Nodal Officer may be briefed about the facility and responsibilities and duties to be carried out by him/her. Copies of Form 12D appended to the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 may be made available to the Nodal Officer and the Nodal Officer should inform the electors concerned about the facility," the EC stated in the notification
The Commission also issued detailed guidelines for this purpose.
Goa will go to polls on February 14 while the counting of votes will be held on March 10.