First vote for Elections 2019 by service voters from ITBP (Screengrab/Express) First vote for Elections 2019 by service voters from ITBP (Screengrab/Express)

The first vote for the Lok Sabha elections 2019 has been cast from Arunachal Pradesh by DIG Sudhakar Natarajan, head of ATS Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Service voters cast their votes from 10 am Friday, five days before the first phase of the elections due on April 11.

A remote Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) unit located in the eastern tip of the North East, started the service voting by secret postal ballot on 5/4/19 at 1000 hrs at Lohitpur, Arunachal Pradesh, more than 2600 km away from Delhi. DIG Sudhakar Natarajan, the head of ATS ITBP, cast the first vote from Animal Training School (ATC) ITBP Lohitpur to many constituencies in India.

The Lok Sabha elections will be spread across seven phases, beginning from April 11. The polls will conclude on May 19 and results will be declared four days later on May 23.

Ballot papers have been dispatched to Uttrakhand, Gujarat, Bangalore, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, UP and many other places.

A person who is in the Armed Forces of India, or belongs to the Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, ITBF; GREF in Border Road Organisation; Central Industrial Security Force or is employed under the Indian government in a post outside the country or is a member of the Armed Police Force of a state and serving outside the state can enroll as a service voter. An estimated 30 lakh service voters will cast their votes this election, many of whom are with their families at stations.

How service voters cast their vote:

The Returning officer of the constituency sends the service voter the postal ballot in which the service voter can record their vote and seal the cover. The voter has to sign the declaration in Form 13A after which the Commanding officer of the unit will attest the voter’s signature which needs to be given to the Returning Officer by post or messenger.

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