Thursday, May 1, 2014

President Pranab Mukherjee will be the first Head of the State to use postal ballot.

NEW DELHI: Breaking from tradition, President Pranab Mukherjee will become the first Head of the State to exercise his franchise through postal ballot when he will cast his vote early next week for South Kolkata Lok Sabha polls. Mukherjee's polling station is Nikhil Bharat Bangabhasha Parishad at Lake road in Kolkata.

Unlike his predecessor, the President will not be voting in the national capital and will instead use postal ballot as he is a registered voter in 160 Rashbehari, part of South Kolkata parliamentary seat, which goes to polls on May 12, official sources said.

Mukherjee has completed the form required for the postal ballot, the sources said, adding the rationale behind the President's decision was that he did not want to pressurise the state administration for making arrangements for his visit.

Presidents in the past have been voting either at the Rashtrapati Bhavan polling station or at Nirman Bhavan.

This makes, Mukherjee, who is the country's 14th President, the first Head of the State to use postal ballot.

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