Thiruvananthapuram: The three-day postal voting for essential services personnel and those on assembly election duty in Kerala began at 9am on Sunday. Special booths have been set up in the legislative assembly constituencies to facilitate postal votes of such staff.

These personnel can cast their votes between 9am and 5pm till March 30.

These voters should exercise their franchise only at the allotted centre. They won’t be allowed to cast their votes at the polling booth on April 6, the day of election.

Application for postal ballots were scrutinised by returning officers concerned and the date, time, and centre of voting are being informed to the voter through SMS or nodal officers or booth-level officers.

As reported earlier the postal voting for those above 80 years of age, differently abled, COVID-19 patients and those under quarantine in Kerala began on Friday onwards. This as a special arrangement for the legislative assembly elections in view of the persisting pandemic.

The postal ballot facility for polling officials and essential service staff has been in a well-established practice carried out for elections over the decades.

Over 2.70 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes for the state polls to elect the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly.