SEC increases efforts to assist 75,000 electors with disabilities at Delhi MCD polling stations.

NEW DELHI: The State Election Commission (SEC) has reviewed the facilities to be provided to persons with disabilities (PwD) at the polling stations for the MCD elections on December 4. The commission is receiving information on approximately 75,000 PwD voters from the office of the chief election officer (CEO) in Delhi. aThe office of the Chief Executive Officer in Delhi has mapped the PwD electors. During the Wednesday meeting, it was decided to enlist the aid of NGOs/NCC/NSS/Scouts and Guides/volunteer organizations to assist electors with disabilities on election day. Wheelchairs, ramps, and toilets will be available at polling stations to assist voters with disabilities in casting their ballots, according to an official. The commission will sensitize the polling staff and issue instructions to the authorities manning the booths to escort the PwD voters and provide transport/e-rickshaws, if possible. We have instructed all district election officers/returning officers to ensure that additional facilities for people with disabilities are in place at polling stations, the official said. Senior citizens have written to the SEC requesting distinct lineups for the elderly. aThe majority of senior citizens suffer from knee pain, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Unless aided by their offspring, many adults avoid voting. DK Taneja, general secretary of Mukherjee Nagar RWA, asked the commission to create separate lines for senior citizens. aIn the interest of free and fair polls, which are uninfluenced and where electors are able to vote impartially, it is imperative to regulate opinion and exit polls in the spirit of provisions enshrined in the Representation of the People Act, 1951,a the commission stated in an order.SEC has notified that from 8 a.m. on December 4 until 5.30 p.m. on December 5, conducting any exit poll and publishing or publicizing of the print or electronic