Pune: Former President of India Pratibha Patil, a Pune resident who exercised her franchise in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections last year through the home voting facility, may not be able to vote in the municipal corporation polls as the option is not available for local body elections. Her daughter Jyoti Rathore told TOI that the 91-year-old is currently recovering from an infection and is unable to step out. “If no home voting is allowed in the local polls, she may not be able to exercise her franchise, which she has done all these years,” Rathore said.
The former President’s predicament mirrors the concerns of many senior citizens across the city and state, as civic polls are scheduled for Jan 15.Ramchandra Kulkarni (88), who has partial paralysis, remembers the relief he felt when polling officials came to his doorstep during last year’s national and state elections. “For the first time, I could vote without being carried to a booth by relatives. Home voting gave me dignity. I don’t know how I will manage this time,” he said.Eighty-two-year-old Shantabai Deshmukh from Kothrud, who walks with a stick, said the home voting team during the assembly elections was a big help. “Earlier, my son had to take a day off to take me to the booth. When officials came home, it felt like the system finally cared for old people,” she said. “Why should we struggle again just because it is a municipal election?”Election officials, however, cite legal limitations. Municipal corporation polls in Maharashtra are conducted under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, 1949, which does not provide for home voting or absentee ballots. The facility was introduced last year only for elections conducted by the Election Commission of India — the Lok Sabha and assembly polls.“Under the municipal law, elections are traditionally conducted through polling stations. There is no provision in the Act for home voting,” a senior official said. While the State Election Commission issues directions for the conduct of civic polls, any modern voting method such as home voting for senior citizens and persons with disabilities can be introduced only through rules or amendments framed by the state govt. “If the govt amends the rules to include such a facility, we will implement it. As of now, we have no such mandate,” the official added.Apart from the lack of legal backing, officials point to logistical challenges. There is a narrow window between the last date of nominations and polling day, leaving limited time to prepare and verify lists of voters eligible for home voting and to deploy teams for door-to-door polling.Civic elections, they say, are also more complex than assembly polls. “In an assembly constituency, there is just one ballot paper. In municipal elections, each ward may have multiple seats with different reservations, which means different ballot papers even within the same ward. Managing this for home voting becomes extremely complicated,” another official said.Activists argue that these constraints should not outweigh people’s rights. “The govt should have made the necessary amendments. A large number of senior citizens and severely disabled people will simply not be able to vote,” a city-based activist said.
