Kathmandu, Nov. 11: Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya has instructed returning officers to be careful about the caretakers, who assist the visually-impaired or physically incapacitated persons in casting votes, in the forthcoming elections.

Chief Commissioner Thapaliya on Thursday instructed returning officers to make sure that no election candidate and representative of political parties will be allowed to assist visually-impaired or person with disabilities or having difficulty to participate in voting process for different reasons, in casting his/her vote and protect their right to vote of persons as any eligible citizen.

He also reminded about complaints received from visually-impaired persons and persons with disabilities in the recently held local polls that the political parties and election candidates, who assisted them, marked on the election symbol of their choice instead of marking on the symbol he/she intended to vote for.

Thapaliya also asked the returning officers to confirm whether the concerned person is visually impaired and physically incapacitated, as there were some instances in local polls where even the voters who could cast votes by themselves pretended to be disabled and cast their voters in others’ assistance.

“This is an offense of a serious nature in the context of voting. I request everyone to be careful to prevent such acts from happening anywhere,” he said.

“If a voter commits such act under any pretext despite being capable of voting themselves, he/she will face action under the Election Offenses and Punishment Act,” Thapaliya warned.

The EC only allows a member of the same family to assist the visually impaired or physically incapacitated person, who is unable to identify the election symbol he/she intends to vote for, said Thapaliya.

In case of such a person, a member of their family is required to take permission from the returning officer to lead them to the polling booth and cast the vote. Similarly, Chief Election Commissioner Thapaliya also instructed the concerned Chief Returning Officers to pay attention to make the election process inclusive, gender- and disable-friendly.

He asked them to set an example by setting up gender- and disable-friendly polling stations for the elections to House of Representatives (HoR) and the Provincial Assemblies slated for Nov 20.

Thapaliya instructed the Chief Returning Officers to set up polling stations that are easily accessible for disabled, pregnant women, senior citizens and physically weak persons.

The commission asked the concerned bodies not to keep ballot boxes and the voting stand too high and make necessary arrangements so that the voters with disabilities and short stature can cast their votes and place their ballot papers in ballot boxes by themselves.

Chief Commissioner Thapaliya also instructed the polling officers to give special priority to pregnant women, new mothers, disabled persons, senior citizens, persons with illness, women with children and those in mourning rituals, so that they do not have to wait for a long time to vote.

Similarly, the Commission has paid attention whether the minimum requirements of making polling stations gender- and disable-friendly are met or not.

Thapaliya said the Commission has also instructed the concerned bodies to make arrangements to lead physically incapacitated persons to the polling booth, cast votes and also return afterward.

In another context, Thapaliya informed the Commission would make necessary arrangements to operate the vehicles in a controlled and orderly manner even on the election day.

He also asked to make arrangement of transportation for severely disabled, senior citizens, among others, to reach the polling station to cast their votes. TRN