EC directs arrangement of Dolis to ensure pregnant women, elderly and disabled cast vote

Friday, 12 APRIL 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN

The Health department is gearing up to bring pregnant women in mountainous areas to polling booths on Dolis (palanquin) to ensure they cast votes for the Lok Sabha elections on April 19. The State chief electoral officer (CEO) BVRC Purushottam held a meeting with the Health department officials on Thursday regarding making all possible arrangements to ensure disabled people, elderly voters above 85 years of age and pregnant women residing in mountainous areas vote in their respective polling booths. He directed the department to arrange Dolis in mountainous areas for easy transportation of such voters from their homes to polling booths that will drop them back as well. Purushottam said that the Election Commission aims to increase the voting percentage in the Lok Sabha elections in the State and every department must put all efforts to achieve it. On the orders of the CEO, the director general of Health Vineeta Shah instructed the chief medical officers (CMOs) of all districts to make arrangements for Dolis to bring disabled, elderly and pregnant women voters to the polling place except in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts. She also asked CMOs to coordinate with their respective district election officers regarding the arrangement of the Doli for the elections.