Journalists certified by ECI included in essential services in Silchar

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: Mediapersons certified by the ECI for poll day reporting fall under the category of absentee voters to be called essential services voters. In this connection, the Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations Office, Barak Valley zone has appointed Suman Chowdhury, media expert NHM, as nodal officer, on Monday to create awareness about it among the media people. Without media as the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar, Keerthi Jalli, said "Without media, print and electronic, as watch dog, there can be no transparency, free and fair reporting. It is good that ECI has declared them as essential services."

In fact, this is for the first time that mediapersons have been given this kind of privilege. Cachar district administration has already taken steps to ensure their smooth voting process through postal ballot/ETPBS options. This will ensure they can render their services without break to cast their votes. Certified mediapersons will be provided form 12 (d) which will be filled up by them attested by the nodal officer and submitted along with the certification of the ECI by March 10.

Relevant to say that absentee voter has been defined in Clause (a) of the rule 27 of the conduct of election rules, 1961, as a person belonging to the class of persons notified by the Commission in terms of Clause (c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 comprise persons employed in essential services who due to compulsion of duties cant be present at the polling booth to exercise their franchise. Journalists in general feel gratified that at last the ECI has given serious thought to their poll day constraints and relieved them of great mental and physical tension.

Also Read: Six candidates file nomination papers in Golaghat Deputy Commissioner's office

Also Watch: BJP candidate Promod Borthakur accorded warm welcome at Biswanath