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The Himachal Pradesh State Election Commission on Friday issued special instructions to election authorities across the state to facilitate voting by advocates who already bear indelible ink marks from the recently conducted Bar Council elections.
In an official communication, the Commission directed all District Election Officers, Sub-Divisional Officers and Block Development Officers to ensure that eligible advocate-voters are not denied their franchise during the ongoing electoral process. The Commission noted that several advocates have indelible ink applied on their left forefinger owing to their participation in the Bar Council polls. To avoid confusion during voter verification, polling officials have been instructed to permit such voters to cast their ballots after proper identity verification. As per the directions, advocates will be required to produce either their Advocate Identity Card or Bar Council Identity Card before the polling staff. Once their identity is verified, they will be allowed to vote. The Commission has further instructed polling teams to apply fresh indelible ink on the right forefinger of such voters before they enter the polling booth, thereby distinguishing participation in the two separate elections. Secretary of the State Election Commission, Surjeet Singh Rathore, said the measures were aimed at ensuring smooth polling operations while maintaining the integrity of the voter identification process. The move comes amid overlapping election schedules involving members of the legal fraternity and is intended to ensure that no eligible voter is deprived of voting rights due to prior participation in another election. (ANI)
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