The New Nation - Internet Edition

Mahbubur Rahman Khan

A large number of physically challenged people will not be able to exercise their voting rights in the coming local government elections as no special arrangement has been made for them in the polling centers.

Of the 140 million total population in the country, the number of disabled people stands at 14 million, of which 7.5 million are voters, said Mozammel Haque, Advocacy Coordinator of Action on Disability and Development (ADD).

Talking to The New Nation, he pointed out that many of disabled people would not be able to stand on the queue for a long time at the polling booths. They should, therefore, be provided with separate queues to enable them to cast their votes without any difficulty.

He said that disabled people should be spared from going upstairs where necessary for casting votes.

Mozammel pleaded with Election Commision to make special arrangements for disabled voters and widely publicise the arrangements for them at the polling booths.

He also laid stress on creating mass awareness for encouraging the physically challenged voters to exercise their right of franchise. Otherwise, many of the disabled voters will not turn up at the polling centers, he noted. He further said that the forthcoming local government election was test case for the Election Commission to encourage these people to come to the polling centers for casting votes. If it succeeded in motivating the physically challenged voters to come to the polling centers in the local government elecion, it would generate great enthusiasm among them to participate in the national election, he added.

When contacted, an official of the EC said that no special arrangement was underway for the disabled voters. He, however, noted that special attention would be given to them at the polling centers on humanitarian ground.

Earlier the Chief Election Commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda said that EC would try relentlessly to ensure the voting rights of the disabled and create favorable polling environment for them national election.