Bengaluru: Covid-19 patients ‘reluctant’ to vote in RR Nagar bypolls

Helping Covid-19 positive persons cast their vote in the by-poll to Rajarajeshwari Nagar assembly seat, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had made elaborate arrangements to get Covid patients to the polling booth and back home. However, a few hours before the polling-day, many have expressed their ‘reluctance’ to come and vote on Tuesday.

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Visiting the mustering centre at Jnanakshi Vidyaniketan School to oversee the preparation for Tuesday’s polling, District Electoral Officer and BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said that not many Covid patients have shown interest to come and vote on the polling day.

“Our officials and Control Room personnel have been calling them up two or three times until now. They have been reluctant and not many have shown interest to come and vote. However, we will not give up but keep trying to convince them till the last hour of the polling. Whoever is willing to come, we will provide them with PPE kits and bring them to polling booths in ambulances,” Manjunatha Prasad explained.

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According to BBMP records, until Monday afternoon, the RR Nagar constituency had reported about 1,469 Covid positive patients in all its nine wards. Out of which 422 patients were admitted in various hospitals and 1,028 people were under home isolation and another 19 were being treated at Covid Care Centres (CCCs).

The BBMP officials had arranged 90 ambulances and PPE kits for Covid patients to bring them to the polling booths for casting votes and drop them back in the same ambulances. BBMP had even dedicated the last one hour of the polling exclusively for Covid patients. Yet, not many have shown interest to come out and cast their vote on the polling day, according to the commissioner.

Poll officials gear up for the polling day

Poll officials on poll duty at 678 polling booths across RR Nagar were dispatched to their respective polling stations after collecting EVMs and VVPAT machines from the mustering centres. BBMP Commissioner Manjunatha Prasad said, “We have deployed additional 20 per cent more staff for poll duty in case of any emergency requirement in any of the polling booths.”