PHD Chamber Meets CEC To Pitch For Granting Voting Rights For Truck Drivers

PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry made a concerted attempt to demand from the Chief Election Commissioner of India to grant voting rights for lakhs of truck drivers that are on roads on multiple occasions when elections are held for different segments of Indian democracy.

The Chamber argued that truck drivers are a critical links and pillars of India's trade and commerce and are usually on roads for weeks and sometimes for months at a stretch when elections are held for different and multiple public institutions belonging to Indian democracy and thus deprived off their universal franchise.

In a bid to press for the aforesaid critical issue, the President of the Chamber Mr. Anil Khaitan met the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Mr. Om Prakash Rawat and appraised him of the issue driving home the point that truck drivers be granted the right to cast their votes through postal ballot or else by way of e-voting mode on lines just as has been done for the military and police personnel.

According to estimates quoted by the Chamber, it is believed that there are around 80 to 90 lakh such truck drivers that are on roads moving goods and passengers from one place to another across the country that do not avail of the opportunity to exercise their legal right to vote on account of their daily engagements plying trucks and therefore, a mechanism ought to be evolved and put in place that such a lot also gets an opportunity to cast their vote through the suggested means of e-voting or postal ballot.

The Chamber President said that the Chief Election Commissioner was sympathetic to the proposal mooted by the Chamber so that the truck drivers while performing their duties are able to cast their votes to the party and candidates of their respective choices.

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