Government employees including policemen who have been deputed for election duties have been directed to exercise their franchise through ballot papers, said postal ballot paper nodal officer Manmohan Singh Rawat on Tuesday.

He said that in Dehradun district, the department had dispatched postal ballot papers for 9,863 service voters to the department concerned by April 24. As per the Election Commission of India’s guidelines, postal ballot papers should be dispatched soon after nomination process of the candidates is completed. As per ECI's direction, the postal ballot paper of service voters will be accepted before beginning of counting of votes for lok Sabha election. In this election, postal ballot paper of service voters will be accepted till 8 am on May 16 by the officials concerned, he added.

According to Rawat, this year, the Election Commission of India has made an arrangement for Government employees including police who are deployed on election duty to exercise their franchise at their polling booth concerned.

Rawat further said that around 8, 000 Government employees who have been made presiding officer or polling officer, sector magistrate or zonal magistrate and others are directed to exercise their franchise through ballot paper and so far, department has received 2,684 ballot papers. Employees can submit their ballot paper by May 6 or they can cast their vote in the polling booth where they are deployed. Around 7,000 police personnel would exercise their franchise through ballot papers in the election and so far, department has received 617 ballot papers.