Telangana Polls: Hyderabad top cop votes through postal ballot

Sandeep Shandilya, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad City cast his vote through postal ballot at Amberpet in Hyderabad on Wednesday. He was appointed as the city top cop after the ECI selected him from a panel of three officers suggested by the Telangana government.

Two other CPs, 10 SPs, three principal secretaries and four district collectors were also appointed specially for election duties by the state government, after being chosen by the ECI.

A majority of those chosen by the ECI for the election duties are non-natives.

Voters on election duty, service voters, special voters including senior citizens aged above 80 years and persons with more than 40 per cent disabilities, electors subjected to preventive detention, senior citizens aged above 80 years are entitled to vote by post.

Being an employee of the police department, the IPS officer would be on election duty during the polls. To enable such staff cast their vote, the ECI had introduced postal ballot.

In a historic move, the Election Commission of India has introduced a home voting facility too in Telangana for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

Ninetyone-year-old Annapurna Chunduri became the first to utilize this service in Khairatabad constituency. Election officers and police collected her postal ballot at her residence.

This initiative allows eligible voters to cast their ballots from home, ensuring accessibility for those facing challenges reaching polling stations. Home voting will continue from November 21 to at least November 27 in all 119 assembly constituencies, marking the first time such a service is offered in Telangana.