Media Representatives Also Included in Election Related Essential Services

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said on Saturday that media representatives have also been included in the essential services related to elections. Arrangements have been made to provide the facility of postal ballot for voting to the media representatives covering the polling day and authorized by the Commission. After the announcement of the election, the concerned media representatives will be informed within 05 days of the notification of the respective phase and constituency being issued.

The application in Form 12D for postal ballot should reach the Returning Officer. The second part of Form-12D will be certified by the Institute of Media Representatives. Along with Form-12D, a certified copy of the authorization letter issued by the Commission will have to be attached and submitted to the Returning Officer of the concerned district.

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To avail this facility, the media representatives must be on coverage on the polling day. The Chief Electoral Officer said that only after it is certified that the media representatives are on coverage on the polling day, the representatives will be allowed postal ballot under the category of essential services. After receiving the application in Form-12D by the Returning Officer, a postal ballot will be issued.

The media representatives who will be issued postal ballots will have to vote in the postal voting center established by the Returning Officer of the concerned district. Chief Electoral Officer informed that the Postal Voting Center will be open for 03 days between 09 am to 05 pm. It will generally be open till 3 days before the polling day.

After the release of the postal ballot, media representatives can cast their vote only through the postal ballot and cannot vote physically at the polling station under any circumstances.