Telangana Elections: Man ‘rescued’ by IT minister KTR yearns to vote for him, if only he could!

HYDERABAD: Narayana was once rescued from the verge of death on the orders of minister KT Rama Rao. He was spotted by someone, lying on the side of a street, with wounds that had festered. They reached out to KTR on Twitter and the minister ensured that Narayana was taken into a private home in Sainikpuri. That was in May. Six months later, Narayana is a changed man now.

Though the 65-year-old struggles to remember things, he has recovered a lot since then and remembers one thing very clearly — that he wants to vote for TRS and KTR, who helped him out. “I am not very sure but I think the last time I voted was in 1984 and then it was for Congress,” says Narayana.

Now, Narayana has no voter ID or Aadhaar card. As a destitute who was living in the street for a long time, he has no memory of where he left or lost his meagre belongings. To the State, Narayana does not exist. And till he was rescued, he reciprocated the feeling. “I cannot go out,” says Narayana pointing to the urine bag attached to him due to his kidney ailment. “But if they take us all, I will go and vote.”

60-year-old Urmila K, another inmate of the private home where Narayana is lodged, intervenes. “I will vote for Modi,” she proclaims. “I read in papers that they are doing better than others,” she says. As age caught up with her, Urmila’s memory started fading. Soon, her children abandoned her. She too had a voter ID, but has no idea where it is now.  For Narayana, Urmila and 20 others in the private home, elections aren’t the most gripping topic. Yet, they all want to vote though none of them have their ID. It’s also unlikely that the election commissions ‘leaving no voter behind’ motto will come to the rescue of these people.

“Psycho social disabilities or mental illness was introduced as one of the disabilities under the Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill in 2016. Under that, special assistance must by provided by the State to help them get enrolled and go cast their votes,” says M Srinivasulu from Network of Persons with Disability Organisation.

However, the list that election commission used to reach out to disabled voters does not have details of the destitute. This is because the State government does not recognise them as persons with disabilities or under the old-age pension scheme. As of today, 4.16 lakh voters with disability have been identified, but the list does not include Narayana, Urmila or many others like them.