As the assembly elections approach, the Election Commission of India has launched a new program that would allow elderly and particularly abled voters in Karnataka to cast their ballots from home. About 5.71 lakh disabled individuals and 12,15,763 senior people above the age of 80 in the state would benefit from the new voting system. 99,529 persons, including 80,250 elderly citizens over the age of 80 and 19,729 voters with special needs, have opted to cast their ballots from home.

There are more senior people and voters who qualify for special elections in some districts than others in the state due to differences in population. There are 119 people with disabilities and 9,152 senior citizens registered to vote in the Bengaluru metropolitan region, but only seven senior persons registered to vote in each constituency. The majority of these voters—more than 2,000 individuals—live in the Sira constituency in Tumakuru.

According to the Chief Electoral Office of Karnataka, this mode of voting is only appropriate for those "who are either confined to their homes or suffering from age-related ailments." A team of five people—two poll workers, one police officer, and one videographer—will visit each eligible voter's home during the voting process, which will begin on April 29 and last until May 6.

They will verify the voter's identification, get a declaration, and deliver the ballot. Voters will have to place their ballots in envelopes and concealed compartments to cast their votes. The team will reschedule the visit if the voter is unavailable during it. The voter will forfeit their chance to cast a ballot if they are unavailable on the second visit.

There is also a postal voting option.

Additionally, the postal ballot option will be made available to 13,771 voters in the vital services category and 47,488 service voters. They can use a link on the ETPBS system to download the postal ballot that was electronically transmitted to them, and all ballots submitted by 8 am on May 13 will be taken into account for counting.

With the help of this project, every person will be able to take part in democracy, even if they are confined to their homes.

As the largest democracy in the world gears up for the largest democratic exercise on earth—the Lok Sabha elections—the political consultancy sector in India is heating up.

There has been an increase in demand for young graduates across a variety of independent political consultants and party-affiliated agencies in the lead-up to the 2024 general elections, which will be preceded by a round of voting this winter for the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, as well as Telangana, according to spokespersons at major political parties and recruitment experts.

25 to 30 MPs asked the nonpartisan Swaniti Initiative, which works in the field of public policy, for assistance with communication and message on social media.

"We are in the process of launching a 3-6 month full-time fellowship of fresh undergraduates at Rs 10-15,000 stipend a month in the areas of social media, governance and policy making," said Rwitwika Bhattacharya, CEO.