The State Election Commission (SEC) is allowing elderly and disabled individuals in Rangareddy district to vote from home for the first time. While some people support this move, others are concerned about the transparency of the process. The SEC has decided that voters above 80 years old must fill out a 12-D form and submit it to the Booth Level Officers (BLO) within five days of the election schedule announcement. Rangareddy district has over 500 centenarians and over 100,000 disabled people. There are a total of 33,56,056 voters in the district, with 36,669 falling in the 80-90 age group. Additionally, there are 6,336 voters in the 90-99 age group, 371 in the 100-109 age group, six in the 110-119 age group, and 155 over the age of 120.
There are 3,369 polling centers established for the total number of voters in Rangareddy district. The code of conduct came into effect on October 9 and will continue until December 5. Syed Afroz, President of the Telangana Disabled Welfare Society (TDWS), welcomes the move by the EC, stating that it will help elderly and disabled individuals avoid long queues at polling booths. However, a community activist raises concerns about the implementation process, fearing that local leaders may influence BLOs and put elderly voters at risk.
