Based on specific instructions by Election Commission of India (CEI), the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Tripura has special measures and initiatives for the persons with disabilities and senior citizens in view of the upcoming assembly elections in Tripura.

Official sources said all the eligible persons with disabilities (PwD)  voters will be enrolled and mapped. The marking of benchmark Pwd voters (above 40%) has been started and the new PwD voters who have applied for enrollment were heard at their home only. Officials from the Office of the ERO (SDM) have visited their houses to conduct the hearing to avoid coming all the way to the hearing places.

CEO, Tripura Kiran Gitte said that free pick up and drop transportation facilities will be provided to all the eligible PwDs and senior citizens and the eligible voters will be provided with a registration facility on web portal , PwD App or helpline in order to avail these facilities.

He said that there are provisions for voting through a Postal Ballot for PwD and senior Citizens (above 80 years) and applications  in Form 12-D will be collected by Election Machineries from their home.

Apart from these facilities like that all 3,328 polling stations in the state have been identified on ground floor, ramps with standard gradient will be ensured in all polling stations, said Gitte and added that so far, out of 3,328  polling stations, 3124  of these  have ramp facilities and work has been taken up to complete the construction of ramps in rest 204 of Polling Stations.

There will be arrangements for separate queues for PwD voters will be ensured at every polling station and there will be wheelchairs at every polling station location. All the District Election Officers, Social Welfare and Social Education Department and Education Department were requested to arrange the required number of wheelchairs for every polling station.

While, as per the directives of ECI, the CEO, Tripura will appoint Accessibility Observers for all districts. They will be visiting minimum 10 Polling Booths covering at least three Assembly Constituencies of each district to ensure that all requisite facilities are available.

Wider publicity of SAKSHAM ECI app will be made for increasing the usage of App for PwD voters,CEO website will be accessibility compliant for easy access and sensitization of polling personnel regarding accessibility requirements specified by the Commission will be done. Polling officials will be briefed to interact with voters with disabilities and senior citizens with due sensitivity, said Election officials.

The poll panel urges the PwD icons of the districts and state to come forward to motivate and inspire voters with disabilities to take part in the electoral process as voters and soon the CEO will organize a meeting with NGOs  to discuss these issues.