ECI issues directions for ease of voting for Persons with Disabilities
By PIB Delhi
- The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar and the bye-elections in 8 ACs on October 6, 2025. The Commission has directed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEO) to ensure that the elections are made accessible to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
- In Bihar, all polling stations will be located on the ground floor/road entry level and will have ramps with proper gradient for the convenience of PwD electors and senior citizens with wheelchairs. Also, it has been directed that PwD electors & senior citizens are given priority for entering polling booths.
- To facilitate the Persons with Visual Impairment, the Commission has directed to issuance of Accessible Voter Information Slips with Braille Features, along with the regular Voter Information Slips (VIS).
- As per Rule 49N of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, visually impaired persons can take a companion along with them to cast their vote on their behalf at the Polling Station.
- Dummy Ballot Sheets in Braille will also be made available in all Polling Stations. Any visually impaired voter can use this sheet to cast his/her vote by themselves using the Braille facility on Ballot Units of EVMs without any help from a companion.
- The Commission has directed that there should be a proper transport facility for PwDs at the polling station on the day of the poll. The PwD electors can also request transport and wheelchair facility by registering on the Divyang (Saksham) Module of ECINET.
- These facilities will be available at each of the 90,712 Polling Stations in Bihar. Additionally, in another initiative, 292 Polling Stations will be exclusively managed by Persons with Disabilities.
