Shimla: Himachal Pradesh's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has turned down a request of Congress candidate from Kangra Lok Sabha seat Anand Sharma for casting his vote from Dharamshala by postal ballot as his voter registration is in Shimla.
Elections to all four Lok Sabha seats in the hill state will take place on June 1.
The Congress veteran and former Union minister, who had written to the CEO requesting that he be allowed to cast his vote from Dharamashala in Kangra by postal ballot, on Monday termed the decision of election authorities as 'unfair and unconstitutional'.
The CEO refused the permission, noting that as per the rules only special voters, service voters, voters on election duty, electorates subjected to preventative detention and those notified under Clause C, Section 60 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 are entitled to vote by post and Sharma does not fall under any of these categories.
Clause C, Section 60, covers persons employed in the health department, police, fire brigade, jail, excise, media persons and other such services, who on account of being on duty on the day of polls cannot exercise their franchise.
Talking to the PTI on Monday, Sharma said, "It is unfortunate that on one hand the election commission is running campaigns to motivate electorates to vote and on the other hand denying a senior citizen from exercising his franchise as he is a candidate of a political party." Terming the decision as unfair and unconstitutional, Sharma said that he deserves the right to vote as well as the right to contest.
"At present, I am in the midst of the election campaign and would definitely challenge the decision in the Supreme Court," he added.
Published 27 May 2024, 16:46 IST