Decode Politics: Why Anand Sharma request to vote via postal ballot was denied

With Himachal Pradesh’s four Lok Sabha seats voting in the last phase on June 1, Anand Sharma, the Congress candidate from Kangra, had written to the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) asking for permission to vote via postal ballot from Dharamshala, instead of Shimla, where he is enrolled as an elector.

The CEO has denied the request citing provisions under the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, which allow only a special category of voters to use postal ballots, but not candidates.

The Congress leader and former Union minister asked the CEO to allow him to cast his vote from Dharamshala as he was in the midst of the election campaign for theKangra Lok Sabha seat.

Sharma is enrolled as an elector in Shimla, which is about 250 km from Dharamshala. He argued that he had a right to cast his vote as well as contest the polls. After his request was denied, he told PTI that he would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.

The CEO told Sharma that he would not be allowed to use the postal ballot facility as the rules allowed only select categories of voters such as those in the central services, under preventive detention or on election duty to avail the option. Under Section 27 of the rules, this list has been expanded to include those with benchmark disability, senior citizens of 85 years and above, and those infected or suspected to have Covid-19.

There is no provision to allow candidates to cast their votes using postal ballots.

Candidates tend to be present in the constituency they are contesting from on polling day, making rounds of the booths and interacting with party workers. For instance, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi voted in Delhi on May 25, but was seen visiting booths in Rae Bareli, one of the two seats he contested