SEC to ask Kerala govt. to examine whether postal ballot facility can be expanded in future local body polls

The State Election Commission (SEC) is planning to ask the Kerala government to examine whether the postal ballot facility can be extended to more voter categories in future local body elections.

At present, only election officials are eligible for postal ballots in the local body polls conducted by the SEC. However, there have been widespread demands this election season that more categories be included.

State Election Commissioner A. Shajahan told The Hindu that the SEC is thinking of making a recommendation to the State government in this regard once the 2025 local body polls—to be held on December 9 and 11 in two phases— are over. For the introduction of such a reform, amendments will be required to the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and the Kerala Municipalities Act.

“The Election Commission of India (EC) has made various categories eligible for postal ballots in line with the amendments to the Representation of the People Act. However, no such provision exists in the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and the Kerala Municipalities Act. The SEC will ask the government to examine whether the provisions in the Representation of the People Act can be extended to these laws as well,” Mr. Shajahan said.

Various groups, including the police officers on duty at the Sabarimala temple for the Mandalam-Makaravilakku season and the Fire and Rescue Services personnel, had petitioned the SEC for postal ballot facility. However, these petitions had to be turned down as the law does not provide for it.

Unlike the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections conducted by the EC, local body polls neither have postal ballots for general voters, nor service ballots or special ballots for vulnerable groups. A concession was made during the 2020 local body polls when postal ballots were introduced as a special case in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, extending the postal ballot facility to more categories of voters also comes with its logistical issues, as the constituencies in the local body elections—the panchayat or municipal wards—are relatively small entities with a few thousand voters each.