Northeast Desk, 20th May: More than 1,000 police officers from Mizoram were unable to exercise their fundamental right to vote during the Lok Sabha elections held on April 19, according to state election officials. These officers were on duty in other states, leaving them unable to cast their ballots despite promises of facilitation centers to accommodate their voting.
State election department officials disclosed that although arrangements were to be made for the police personnel to vote at facilitation centers, these were not established due to the early deployment of the officers. This logistical failure resulted in their disenfranchisement during the electoral process.
Efforts by state authorities to enable these officers to vote were unsuccessful, as repeated appeals to the Election Commission were allegedly rejected. The central poll panel’s refusal to accommodate these requests left a significant number of police personnel without the opportunity to participate in the elections.
In response, the People’s Conference (PC) party sent a letter to the Election Commission’s principal secretary, S.B. Joshi, urging the poll panel to address the issue. The PC party stressed the importance of allowing the 1,047 policemen from Mizoram to vote before the vote counting began.
Criticism has been directed at the authorities for not implementing the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS), which could have facilitated the voting process for the police personnel. This oversight has raised concerns about the denial of voting rights to those responsible for ensuring the security of the electoral process.