Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The election duty of 1,605 employees was cancelled for valid reasons. Over 900 requests were rejected. Many employees cited medical reasons like back pain, spine problems, high blood pressure and diabetes. They submitted medical certificates stating they couldn't sit for long periods. However, the administration denied their requests.
For the upcoming assembly elections, the administration collected data from all government and semi-government offices in the district. A total of 27,000 employees submitted their information. The administration needs 17,000 employees, including reserved staff. Exemptions were granted only to employees with severe illnesses, pregnant or lactating mothers, differently-abled employees, essential service staff, those with less than six months until retirement and employees on medical leave. All other requests were rejected. The district has 3,273 polling stations across nine constituencies. Of these, 1,290 are in urban areas and 1,983 are in rural areas. Employees have been assigned duties for voting and counting processes.
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Reasons given to avoid election duty
Employees gave several reasons to avoid election duty. These included high blood pressure, diabetes, back pain, spinal issues, a sick spouse, the inability to sit for long periods, and being active in a political party. Over 2,500 employees applied for exemption from election duty.