By IANS
New Delhi : Legislators of a state, unable to cast their votes for the July 19 presidential election in their state assembly or parliament, can exercise their franchise in other state assemblies too, the Election Commission said Sunday.
In normal practice, the MLAs vote in their state assemblies or in parliament. "But there may be extreme cases where some MLAs may be forced to remain away from their own state on the day of poll due to compelling and justifiable reasons and may not be able to cast their vote either at their own state headquarter or at parliament house, New Delhi," it said in a release.
"In order to enable such MLAs to cast vote during the current presidential election, the Commission has decided, in exceptional cases, to allow the MLAs of any state to cast their votes at any state headquarter other than their own if they apply for the Commission's permission well in advance," it said.
Such legislators will have to seek the poll panel's permission 96 hours before the commencement of poll, with full justification in order to enable the Commission to send ballot paper of the respective state to the place where the legislator intends to vote, so that the presiding officer is able to issue the same to him or her during the poll.
The Commission, responsible for arranging and conducting the elections for the post of president and vice president besides those for all legislative bodies, said it has also requested all the assistant returning officers, who normally are secretaries of the assemblies, to intimate their state legislators about the commission's decision.