ITBP Soldiers Cast First Vote for 2019 Polls

The first vote for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections was cast in Arunachal Pradesh by service voters from a remote Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) unit located in the eastern tip of the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Votes through postal ballots have been cast from Lohitpur for many constituencies in India and the ballot papers have been dispatched.

Who are Service Voters?

• Service voters are those who have service qualification and include members of Armed Forces of the Union of India, members of Armed Police forces of the States serving outside that state and persons employed under Government of India on posts outside India.
• They are provided with an option to cast the votes through postal ballots and send them to the returning officer of the constituency.
• A service voter can also cast his vote through a proxy. The proxy can cast the vote on behalf of the service personnel at the polling station.
• The proxy should be a registered voter of that constituency.

In cases of close contests, service voters play a crucial and decisive role.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2019