Jaipur, Nov 20 (IANS): More elderly and differently-abled voters were opting for the home voting initiative of the Election Commission of India in the Rajasthan Assembly Elections-2023, said the officials on Monday.

In the first phase of home voting, 60,424 voters from the elderly and differently-abled categories voted from home across the state.

During home voting so far, a total of 1,220 voters were not found in their homes during the visit of special polling teams. 884 voters have died. So far 96.64 per cent elderly and differently-abled voters did home voting. Of these, 96.49 per cent elderly people and 97.56 per cent disabled people have voted, said Praveen Gupta, chief electoral officer.

He said that senior voters above 80 years of age and more than 40 per cent differently-abled voters in the state have been given the option of voting from home. In the first five days of home voting in the state, 48,913 elderly and 11,511 disabled voters voted on Sunday, and 1465 elderly and 286 disabled voters took advantage of the facility of voting from home.

He said that 62,528 eligible voters have applied for the home voting facility as an option.

Special polling teams are going to the homes of such voters and getting them to vote through postal ballot with complete secrecy.

In the first phase, voting was conducted at home till November 19 through postal ballot. For those voters who were absent at home during the first phase of home voting, special polling teams will visit them for the second time on November 20 and 21.

The polling dates for voters connected with essential services are from November 19 to November 21.