At times when the Election Commission of India (ECI) is running campaign across the nation, especially in the five election-bound States for maximum participation in the electoral process, a social organisation has demanded that arrangements should be made for the patients admitted in various hospitals for casting their votes.
‘Hum Ek Hain’, an NGO from the State capital in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampat on Thursday said that the ECI is running nationwide campaign ‘Saare kam chhod do, sabse pehle vote do’ (leave all works, first cast your vote). The commission makes arrangements in all parts of the country for the residents so that they could cast their vote, in the process arrangements are made in those far flung areas also where population is negligible, but the commission forgets the large number of patients undergoing treatment in various hospitals across the country and the State. No arrangements are made from the ECI for the patients to cast their votes though many of them wishes to exercise their right but could not do so as their health do not permits them to reach the polling booths.
Internationally acclaimed Urdu poet from the State capital Manzar Bhopali who is the president of ‘Hum Ek Hain’ said, “Indian constitution provides voting rights to all the citizens of the country and the ECI makes nationwide arrangements for the electorate so that they could cast their vote. But a huge lot remains neglected by the ECI – the patients admitted in various hospitals across the country the number of whom could be in thousands in every assembly and parliamentary constituency. No arrangements are made by the ECI for the patients hence we demand that ECI should make arrangements for the patients admitted in various hospitals so that they could exercise their franchise.”