4,400 blind voters set to exercise their right

Pune: Citizens should not treat voting day like a holiday, said Kisan Khandagale, a retired teacher. He is one of the 4,400 blind people who have been provided with braille voter information slips by the Election Commission of India (ECI). "Voting day is not a holiday.

It is a day of duty. Citizens should not treat it like an off day and must vote. We are doing so despite all odds," said Khandagale who will exercise his electoral right on Wednesday.



According to the ECI data for the city, the highest number of such voters is in Wadgaon Sheri, followed by Purandar, while Hadapsar has the lowest figure. "It is the first time I will use the facility of braille voter slip. It is very helpful.

We do not have to rely on anyone now," Nilesh Bendre, who has completed LLM, said. These voters claim they are not only considering the problems faced by differently abled persons, but also keep the larger public interest in mind while casting their votes. Braille is a script with raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision.

It is a tactile reading and writing system used by blind and visually impaired people who cannot access print material..