Elderly, disabled residents of Bandra writers’ colony denied home voting rights

Mumbai residents in writers' colony allege negligence by election officials, denying seniors above 85 and disabled person their right to vote from home.

Mumbai: Less than two days before Mumbai goes to vote, residents of Sahitya Sahawas, a writers’ colony in Bandra East have alleged that negligence on the part of election survey officials has robbed several of their senior citizens above the age of 85 years and a person with disability their right to vote from home.

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The Election Commission of India (ECI), for the first time in a Lok Sabha election, provided the facility of home voting for voters above 85 and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) with a 40% benchmark disability. In Mumbai, 55,766 people fall in this age group in Mumbai while their number stands at 98,124 in the suburbs.

Recounting the sequence of events, residents said that on February 26, a survey officer from the Election Commission of India visited the colony to check on the Aadhar cards of those above 85 years and list those who had passed away. A resident whose mother is 87 years, said, “I gave her my mother’s Aadhar card and she mentioned the doorstep voting facility. On March 19, the officer called, asking if my mother would be able to go out and vote. I said she couldn’t and requested that she be registered for doorstep voting. The officer said that she would give her name to the election office. After this, there was no communication.”

This resident messaged the officer on May 9, asking if she would send someone on May 20 for doorstep voting. “She responded saying that she had already given my mother’s name. I also told her about a form the building secretary had shared, which 85-plus seniors were supposed to fill up to formally register for doorstep voting. I forwarded the form to her, and she said she’d check and and revert the next day. The next day, she told me to fill the form and give it to the society’s office manager.

“The office manager also sent a message to residents to submit the forms five days before the election as directed by the Election Commission. We submitted our 10 to 12 forms, six days earlier at the Bandra East Community Hall on May 14, but they were not accepted. The junior officer there said that the voting was already over on the 11th,” said another resident.

Confused and seeking clarity, the resident contacted the survey officer on May 15, only to be told that the residents had “refused to cooperate” and turned down the doorstep initiative. The claim was that this was done on March 19, a claim firmly denied by the residents, as no such visit had occurred.

Among the affected is Anuradha Athavale, an 87-year-old author and translator. She voiced her frustration, stating, “I’m a well-educated citizen. Voting is our fundamental right. No election officer visited me or my home after the initial survey. We submitted our forms on time, yet now I am deprived of my right to vote.”

Yateendra Sane, a 50-year-old resident suffering from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), was also very disappointed. Yateendra’s father expressed his dismay. “He has been disabled for 20 years, and was really looking forward to voting now that this home voting option was made available. But due to their negligence or no communication at all, his right to vote has been taken away from him.”

When contacted, the officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “I went to Sahitya Sahawas for the survey once. Later, I spoke to the Sahitya Sahawas office manager about which residents were in need of doorstep voting and asked her to get the forms signed. But I was told by her that the residents would not sign on such forms and I was asked not to come. Hence I didn’t revisit the colony. Except that, I did submit the forms of the individuals who are above 85+ age and the ones who are disabled.”