“Official figures show that over 1.50 lakh physically disabled persons and senior citizens above 85 years age can avail home voting facility in Jammu & Kashmir in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and thereafter.”
For the first time in the election history of the country particularly Jammu & Kashmir the Election Commission Of India (ECI) has announced the facilities of home voting for physically disabled persons and senior citizens above 85 years of age. For extending the home voting facility to the physically disabled persons and as well as senior citizens above 85 years age the booth level officers are now duty bound to travel to their homes to seek their consent for voting through postal ballots and this will be now a new norm in the election process in Jammu & Kashmir like other parts of the country. The introduction of home voting facility for physically disabled persons and senior citizens above 85 years of age will in fact now involve new class of voters in the electoral processes in Jammu & Kashmir. As the official figures show that over 1.50 lakh physically disabled persons and senior citizens above 85 years age can avail home voting facility in Jammu & Kashmir in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and thereafter, the Election Commission’s motive of increasing the participation of even handicapped and old aged eligible voters is likely to get a new boost from the introduction of this home voting facility for physically disabled and old aged people. What matters the most is the fact that the introduction of home voting facility for physically disabled persons and senior citizens above 85 years age will obviously now attract the attention of the political parties towards the rehabilitation and welfare of both the physically disabled and as well as old aged people. Since the areas of bigger concerns for both the physically disabled persons and as well as senior citizens above 85 years age include their accessibility to hassle free health facilities, the political parties will obviously now find a compulsion in promising sops to both the physically disabled persons and as well as senior citizens above 85 years age.
“The introduction of home voting facility will hereafter most likely bring a change in the accessibility of both the physically disabled persons and as well as senior citizens above 85 years age to basic social services. The home voting facility for both the physically disabled persons and as well as senior citizens above 85 years age is as such just a beginning and their participation in electoral process through home voting facilities may bring at their doorsteps some more key facilities in coming years.”
With the introduction of home voting facility the physically disabled persons and as well as senior citizens above 85 years age will now hopefully find some space in the election manifesto of political parties the time when major political parties promise free power supply, free ration and cashless hospitalization to people in both assembly and as well as parliamentary elections. So the introduction of home voting facility will hereafter most likely bring a change in the accessibility of both the physically disabled persons and as well as senior citizens above 85 years age to basic social services. The home voting facility for both the physically disabled persons and as well as senior citizens above 85 years age is as such just a beginning and their participation in electoral process through home voting facilities may bring at their doorsteps some more key facilities in coming years.
