Delhi polls: Pick up-and-drop, postal ballot among facilities for disabled, elderly voters

The Delhi Assembly election is around the corner with voters gearing up to exercise their franchise on February 8.

Along with the regular setting, special arrangements are being made to aid the differently abled voters and senior citizens in casting their votes in 13,750 polling booths located at 2,689 locations across Delhi.

Out of the total 1,46,92,136 voters in the final electoral roll for the upcoming election, 55,823 are persons with disabilities (PwD) and 2,05,035 are aged above 80 years.

Officials had earlier stated that this would be the first time when the postal ballot facility would be provided to 'absentee voters', senior citizens aged above 80 and people with disability at their homes. A volunteers' team would go to the voters' house after receiving requests.

Before this, the service was available only for armed forces and people on poll duties.

Apart from that, to make election accessible, there will be a provision of Braille Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Braille photo voter slip, ramp, wheelchair, volunteers, sign language and pick and drop facilities etc., for voters with disability and reduced mobility.

The voter helpline number -- 1950 -- has been extended to PwD to register their complaints directly.

Generally, online/sms booking of wheelchairs and volunteers can be done before the poll day to ensure that the facilities are in place at polling booths. In some polling booths, prior booking of parking facility would also be made available. Voters with disabilities can also avail free local public transport services in some constituencies.

Priority entry would be provided to such voters without them having to wait in queues at polling booths.

Assured Minimum Facilities that would be made available at polling booths are signage, help desk, polling booth at ground floor, obstacle-free wide levelled pathway from entrance to voting compartment, ramp as per GOI standards, accessible toilets, drinking water, separate entry and exit, lighting, accessible furniture, braille ballot guide, adjustable braille-embossed EVMs, wheelchairs, booth volunteers and display of accessible posters on information pertaining to voting.

Such voters are allowed to bring their companion to assist them till the voting compartment. If help is required by the companion while voting, form 49A has to be filled by the companion. The companion can vote immediately after the person with disability is done voting. Other than that, a voter with disability can also take help from booth volunteer or presiding officer.

Who falls under voters with disability?

Voters having one of the 21 disabilities as mentioned in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 come under voters with disabilities. The 21 disabilities are -- blindness, low-vision, leprosy cured persons, hearing impairment (deaf and hard of hearing), locomotor disability, dwarfism, intellectual disability, mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, specific learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, speech and language disability, thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple disabilities including deafblindness, acid attack victim and Parkinson's disease.