Secrecy of ballot is the cornerstone of free and fair elections. The choice of a voter should be free and the secret ballot system in a democracy ensures it, the Supreme Court had said in a judgement.
But Jowai NPP candidate Wailadmiki Shylla failed to keep it a secret.
A photograph of a 101-year old voter who exercised his franchise from home through postal ballot was reportedly shared by the candidate in his WhatsApp status with a caption, “My oldest supporter according to my knowledge 101 yrs old. Thank you for your support Ha ka Kot Long Live NPP…”
The Election Commission of India has introduced home voting in a bid to facilitate senior citizens and people with disabilities to exercise their franchise in the State.
As per the option exercised under Form 12 D, district teams are deployed to arrange for home voting for senior citizens above 80 and people with disabilities through postal ballots.
The team is expected to visit individual houses and collect postal ballots while maintaining complete secrecy of the vote.