Kerala Local Body Election: Postal Ballot Only for Officials on Duty

Thiruvananthapuram: The distribution of postal ballots for officials assigned election duty in the upcoming local body polls in Kerala began on Wednesday. The State Election Commissioner clarified that postal voting is strictly limited to staff deployed for official election duties. Under the provisions of the Kerala Panchayat Raj and Municipality Acts, the postal voting facility cannot be extended to any other category of voters. During the COVID-19 period, special postal ballots were permitted only for those covered under the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Postal ballots will be issued immediately upon receipt of applications. Applicants must submit the prescribed form within the stipulated timeframe, along with a copy of the order assigning them to election duty. Applications should be submitted to the Returning Officer of the ward in which the applicant is registered as a voter.

No postal stamp is required either for sending ballots to applicants or for the return of marked ballots to the respective Returning Officer. The postal department has arranged the necessary procedures in coordination with the Election Commission.