Kamal Kumar Biswas. TOD.Balurghat
The process of collecting votes from elderly, infirm and specially-abled citizens at their homes began on Friday in Balurghat, marking a significant step toward inclusive electoral participation. However, concerns over security arrangements have cast a shadow over the initiative, with several polling personnel questioning whether promised safeguards are being adequately implemented.
Early in the morning, teams of election officials departed from the Balurghat Block Office carrying Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to reach voters who had applied for the home voting facility through the Election Commission. The program is designed to ensure that those unable to travel to polling stations can still exercise their democratic rights.
Despite prior assurances from authorities regarding stringent security measures, some polling workers reported discrepancies between official guidelines and on-ground arrangements. According to them, central armed forces such as the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were expected to accompany the teams. Instead, in several instances, personnel identified as police from Uttar Pradesh were deployed in khaki uniforms.
Sanjay Barman, a polling staff, said that while they had been told central forces would provide security, they often found themselves working alongside state police instead. Another polling worker, Samapti Dutta, echoed similar concerns, noting that training sessions had specified a deployment model involving four central force personnel and two state police officers per team. “That protocol is not being followed in practice,” she said, also highlighting a shortage of female security personnel.
The Election Commission has not yet issued a formal response to these allegations. Meanwhile, the home voting process continues across the region, even as unease persists among some of those tasked with carrying it out.The initiative represents an important expansion of voter accessibility, but its success may ultimately depend on restoring confidence among the personnel responsible for delivering it.
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