Patna: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that elderly voters, persons with disabilities, and individuals engaged in essential services will be able to cast their votes through postal ballots in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
The move, outlined in a notification issued on Wednesday, follows the announcement of the state’s election schedule earlier this week. Under Section 60(c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, electors aged 85 years and above, along with those with benchmark disabilities, can now register to vote from home. They must submit Form 12D to their returning officer within five days of the election notification, after which polling teams will collect their votes directly from their residences.
ECI to facilitate Elderly, PwD and Service Voters to vote using Postal Ballot in the Bihar Assembly elections
Read more: https://t.co/dWO15SbzCC pic.twitter.com/ocVJS1rQTW
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) October 8, 2025
The Commission has also extended the facility to those working in essential services on polling day, including fire services, healthcare, electricity, traffic management, ambulance services, aviation and state-run transport corporations. Accredited media personnel covering the election will also be entitled to postal ballots.
For service voters, ballots will be sent electronically through the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) as soon as the final list of candidates is confirmed. The ECI said that service voters would not be required to bear postal costs.
Returning officers and district election officials have been instructed to brief political parties and contesting candidates on these provisions to ensure smooth implementation.
