Delhi polls: Over 21,000 voters aged over 80 added to rolls in past year

The constituency which has seen the biggest rise in the number of 80+ voters is Vishwas Nagar, where 716 octogenarians have been added to the list since last year. In 66 of the 70 Assembly constituencies, the population of 80+ voters has grown.

The four constituencies where the number has reduced include Badli, Madipur, Rajinder Nagar and R K Puram. The biggest fall of these is in Rajinder Nagar, where the number of 80+ voters has fallen by 692.

What will help these elderly voters this time, is the option of voting through postal ballot which has been introduced for the first time. “If someone is 80 or above, the block-level officer will go to their home and give them form 12 D which enables postal ballot. After they apply, the polling party will come to their home and they can vote. This facility was earlier available only to Army personnels. This is the first time in Delhi that it’s being allowed for this age bracket,” said Special CEO Satnam Singh.

“It was tested first in the Jharkhand elections, as many elderly voters don’t end up voting because it is inconvenient for them. But there, it was tried only in some areas. At the entire state level, it’s happening for the first time in Delhi,” he said.

Besides this new move, the earlier facilities provided to the elderly — including pick up and drop facility, as well as provision of wheelchair and ramp at the polling stations — will also be provided by the CEO office.