Help at hand

Ranchi, April 1: For the first time, polling booths in the state will have wooden ramps for the physically challenged. Braille ballots, too, will be introduced in three districts for the visually impaired.

The state electoral office, following the directive of the Election Commission, has made these provisions to ensure that the differently abled have no problem casting votes in the Lok Sabha elections.

The ramps will be temporarily constructed at the entrances of polling stations. There is a total number of booths 23,908 in the state.

Joint chief electoral officer Ashok Kumar Sinha said in the first phase of polls,that is on April 16, 70,68, 638 people will vote while the figure is 1,08,15,840 for the second phase, April 23. The number of physically challenged voters is around three per cent.

Singh said there would be provision for ballot papers in the form of Braille. “The Braille ballots will have the names of the candidates and their serial numbers. Voters will have to choose a candidate by feeling the serial numbers and then ask the official in duty to enter the same in the EVM,” said Sinha. However, the Braille Ballot will only be able in the booths in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad.

Sinha added about 70 per cent of electoral photo identity cards have been issued and the rest can exercise their franchise by showing documents as prescribed by the Election Commission.

He said the number of voters might rise as supplementary electoral roll would be published booth-wise a couple of days before the elections. New entries (entered till March 25) and names of state employees on election duties would feature on the rolls.