New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala John Brittas has approached Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia seeking a grant of a paid holiday to postal employees on the day of the Assembly election on April 9.

In a letter addressed to the Union Minister, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP sought an urgent intervention to enable postal employees to exercise their franchise.

In his letter, Brittas expressed concern over instructions issued by the Kerala Postal Circle treating the entire category of postal employees as “Absentee Voters in Essential Services (AVES)” and directing them to opt for a postal ballot within an extremely limited timeframe.

He pointed out that the circular dated March 19 required the collection of Form 12D by March 20 and submission at the respective Collectorates by March 22, both of which fell on holidays, making meaningful compliance difficult and raising apprehensions regarding the arbitrary nature of the directions.

Brittas emphasised that Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 mandates the grant of a paid holiday on the day of poll to enable employees to exercise their franchise.

He noted that even where certain services are treated as essential, long-standing administrative practice has been to maintain only minimal required operations on polling day, without denying employees the opportunity to vote in person.

The CPI-M MP also pointed out that in several other states going to polls, including Assam, postal employees are being granted a holiday on polling day in accordance with statutory provisions.

He noted that in previous Assembly elections in Kerala, postal establishments had observed polling day holiday subject only to limited essential arrangements.

The present deviation raises concerns regarding inconsistency in the application of the law and the avoidable curtailment of the democratic rights of employees, he said.

Stating that the right to vote lies at the core of India’s democratic framework, Brittas urged the Union Minister to examine the matter urgently and issue appropriate directions to ensure that postal employees in Kerala are granted the statutory paid holiday on polling day, subject only to such limited essential arrangements as may be strictly unavoidable.

–IANS

rch/uk