Elderly, disabled voters weigh up EC's 'Vote from Home' scheme

Gul Shivadasani of Delhi thinks the Election Commissions Vote From Home scheme for people aged 85 and above and those with more than 40 per cent disabilities is a welcome step but the Delhi resident would still prefer to cast his vote at the polling boothFor Shivadasani voting is more than a civic duty its an opportunity for him to engage with the wider communityStepping into the polling booth is one of the few chances I have to interact with people beyond the confines of my home said Shivadasani whose outings are mostly restricted to routine medical checkups or festival gatheringsThe Election Commission while announcing the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 schedule unveiled the Vote From Home scheme designed to facilitate the participation of citizens aged 85 and above and individuals with more than 40 per cent disabilities in the electionsWhile commending the decision Shivadasani finds himself at a crossroadsIts a commendable decision but I still prefer casting my vote at the polling booth Shivadasani said echoing the sentiment of many in his age groupAt home there is a possibility of my children influencing my decision At the booth however I am confident of making my choice he addedShivadasanis hesitance mirrors the cautious stance adopted by elderly and disabled voters toward the initiativeShabnam Begum a wheelchair user in Aligarh said Voting is a deeply personal choice and I value the experience of physically casting my ballot There is also a fear of undue influence through such schemesWhile activists acknowledged that most individuals with disabilities and the elderly would prefer to vote in person they argued that some require this facility due to the severity of their conditionHowever more concerted efforts at raising awareness are imperative said Muralidharan general secretary of the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled NPRDNot everyone shares Shivadasanis misgivings about the schemeFeroza Jahan a 90yearold Noida resident suffers from paralysis which has prevented her from casting her vote for more than three decades When I heard about the scheme I was thrilled at the prospect of being able to vote Though I encountered some difficulties understanding the process I have registered and eagerly await the opportunity to vote she saidCitizens aged 85 and above and persons with disabilities can opt for postal ballots and cast their votes from homes Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had said while announcing the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 schedule Generally the tendency has been that the senior citizens want to participate in the process and walk to the booth This time we have given them the option to vote from their homes Kumar had saidExplaining the process disability rights activist Dr Satendra Singh said the respective boothlevel officer will contact a voter who has applied for a ballot under the scheme within a fiveday deadline varying from phase to phaseA team comprising two poll officials a videographer and security personnel will visit the electors residence at the designated time and date with a prior intimation sent through SMS Singh saidHe emphasised that missing the visit would result in the loss of the opportunity to vote whether through postal ballot or Electronic Voting Machine EVMHimanshu Raha founderchairman of Agewell Foundation said tracking how many elderly there are is a challenge The last census was in 2011 so knowing the number of elderly above 85 years and the number of people with 40 per cent disability is very difficult Most of these people have not even stepped out of their homes for a long time So for them to proactively pursue this would be difficult he saidAccording to the 2011 census there were 268 crore disabled people 221 per cent of Indias population that year There were nearly 1040 crore elderly people aged 60 and above 530 crore women and 510 crore men Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases from April 19 The votes will be counted on June 4This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever