For the first time in the country, Election Commission will provide pick-up and drop service facility for the differently-abled voters to enable them exercise their franchise without difficulty during the November 3 bypolls in Karnataka.
Chief Electoral Officer in a statement on Monday said that, “In a step towards an inclusive election, for the first time in the country, the election machinery is providing the facility of pick-and-drop for persons with disabilities for the by-election.”
The facility can be booked in advance through a mobile application called “Chunavana” (meaning election in Kannada), developed by the EC officials for the southern state.
The voters who wish to avail the facility will have to download the mobile application and make bookings. The voters have to get their names, voter-ID numbers and their locations registered so that the vehicles can pick them up. The booking for this facility will be closed on the midnight of November 1 so as to allow the returning officers of polling stations make the required arrangements.
The application was being launched on a pilot basis for the by-elections to Shivamogga, Mandta and Ballari Lok Sabha Constituencies and Ramanagara and Jamakhandi assembly segments and based on its success, it will be replicated across the country.
