Will ensure persons with disabilities turn out to vote\, says Korlapati

Mangalur

Will ensure persons with disabilities turn out to vote, says Korlapati

Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, Deputy Commissioner, and Sindhu B. Rupesh, ZP CEO, at a demonstration of EVMs and VVPATs in Udupi on Saturday.

Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, Deputy Commissioner, and Sindhu B. Rupesh, ZP CEO, at a demonstration of EVMs and VVPATs in Udupi on Saturday.  

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Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, Deputy Commissioner, said on Saturday that all efforts were being made to see that the persons with disabilities turned out and voted during the Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing presspersons here, Ms. Korlapati said that as per the directions of the Election Commission, persons with disabilities had been identified in Udupi district. All facilities would be provided to them at the polling booths.

The Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Committee had been holding awareness programmes across the district and impressing upon the voters about the importance of voting. “We want to reach out to the last voter so he turns up and votes during the elections,” she said.

Ms. Korlapati said that every vote was important and had value. In close contests, some results had been decided by one vote. A study had shown that margin of victory of the winning candidates, which were once huge, were now getting reduced.

Voters had to produce one of the 11 documents prescribed by the Election Commission to vote during the elections. Voter’s Slip was not an identity document, she said.

Sindhu B. Rupesh, CEO of Zilla Panchayat, said that the SVEEP programme was targeting young voters. The SVEEP Committee had held several awareness programmes in the colleges across the district. Campus ambassadors had been selected from the Electoral Literacy Clubs of the colleges. Already a cycle jatha and motorcycle to create awareness had been held in Kundapur. If necessary, a marathon too would be held here to create awareness about the importance of voting, she said.

To a query, she said that the gram panchayat officials could make vehicle arrangements for voters living in remote areas to reach the polling booths and cast their votes.

A plan in connection with matter had been submitted to the Election Commission and its response was awaited.

Over 70,000 persons had participated in the mock polls held during the demonstration of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) along with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), Ms. Rupesh said.

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