SPDPO seeks voting rights for differently abled persons
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, March 03 2022:
Ahead of the second phase of the assembly election to be held on March 5, State Platform of Disable Peoples' Organisation Manipur (SPDPO) has urged authorities concerned not to let the differently abled people face inconveniences in the upcoming election.
In a release, SPDPO president Yunush Khan said that first phase of election on February 28 ended peacefully.
Acting on the order issued by ECI, elderly people above 80 years and person with disabilities cast their votes through postal ballot.
However, many people whose names were not submitted by BLO and those who did not possess disability certificate could not avail the facility of postal ballot.
Moreover, non-inclusion of persons rendered disabled due to accident or paralysis to avail postal ballot has caused serious inconveniences, he maintained.
Pointing out that vehicles and wheelchairs should be properly arranged to make feeble people comfortable, he contended that the differently abled voters faced inconveniences due to improper arrangement in the first phase election.
Non-arrangement of wheelchairs in many polling stations caused trouble to the voters.
It is unfortunate that ECI failed to translate its order into action effectively.
While urging authorities concerned not to repeat the same mistake faced in the first phase election, Yunush Khan asserted that differently abled people also have the same responsibility towards making a better society through their participation in the election.