CHENNAI: Accessibility for persons with disabilities (PwDs) and the elderly at polling booths across Tamil Nadu was a mixed bag on Thursday, with several voters reporting significant hurdles that prevented them from casting ballots independently, despite the Election Commission assuring the Madras High Court that minimum assured facilities, including permanent ramps, would be provided in all booths.
Sandeep Paul, a wheelchair-bound resident of Alandur, had a difficult experience at CSI Primary School, where a makeshift ramp made of mud covered with red cloth had been set up at an under-construction building.
"The ramp was too steep and uneven. Two people had to push me. After that, there was a corridor and two steps at the entrance of the ballot room. I had to be lifted. I couldn't reach the ballot, and an official lifted the EVM for me, compromising secrecy," he said.
Seconding him, 50-year-old A Prabhakar, who voted at Chennai Primary School in MGR Nagar, described his experience as "nightmarish".
"The ballot room was barely 5 ft wide, while my wheelchair was around 3 ft wide. Once inside, there was no space for me to turn due to tables and chairs. An official had to cast the vote for me as I couldn't reach the EVM. There was also a step at the entrance," he said, adding that a ramp was present at the centre of the polling station.
R Kannan (51), a voter from Egmore with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Type 3), said he was offered a postal ballot, but his 78-year-old mother, N Kumari, a breast cancer survivor who has undergone knee surgery and suffers from varicose veins, could not vote as they could not proceed with the postal ballot process.
"Officials said I had to submit a request letter to the returning officer. With my condition, I cannot manage that, and my mother cannot travel. It's not worth the pain," he said.
Stating that there was no facility to apply for postal voting online, he noted that they had no one to assist them with the process and that the alternative of submitting letters was cumbersome.
Eighty-three-year-old Sabita Radhakrishnan, who runs the NGO for the elderly, 'Udhavi', said officials had promised to collect her vote through postal ballot but did not turn up. "They came for someone else in the building, but not me. I arranged a wheelchair and a vehicle and voted. The booth experience was smooth," she said.
Gnana Bharathi, a PwD who voted at Olcott Memorial Higher Secondary School in Besant Nagar, said the school had five booths. While one booth had a permanent accessible ramp, the muddy entrance made it difficult for PwDs.
Three other booths had steep ramps, and one of them, made of plywood, was so steep that the presiding officer himself threw it away, she added.
At Thiruthangal Nadar College in Selaivayal (Perambur constituency), only one volunteer was deployed despite nearly 10 booths operating in two sections.
Though ramps were available at corridor ends, steps and lack of access to individual rooms restricted movement, especially amid crowds.
Saidhunisha H (38), a polio-affected voter, said police asked her relatives to carry her along with the wheelchair to the booth. "Arrangements could have been better. At least next time, accessibility should improve," she said.
Meanwhile, malfunctioning of EVMs led to crowding in two booths, and elderly voters were made to wait without seating.
In Perumbakkam, PwDs said they had to argue with police to allow vehicles closer to booths. "Initially, vehicles were stopped at the road entrance. Only after repeated requests were two-wheelers allowed," said Sujatha Kandhan, a PwD with locomotor disability.
Devika Apache, who also has locomotor disability, said she struggled to access basic facilities. "I had to argue for a wheelchair. The path was sandy and unsafe. Authorities could have offered postal voting," she said.
In Thanjavur and Tiruvaiyaru, wheelchairs were available but volunteers were absent, unlike in previous polls. In Vellore, ramps, at least temporary ones with red cloth, were provided, though some were steep.
R Meenakshi, who accompanied her mother in a wheelchair to vote at a higher secondary school in Sathuvachari, Vellore, said the ramps were quite steep, and her mother found it a bit scary when officials pushed her up.
Wheelchairs were mostly adequate but slightly insufficient. For example, one school with four booths had only three, causing brief delays when more than three disabled voters arrived simultaneously.
At Chennai Higher Secondary School in New Washermenpet (Dr RK Nagar constituency), multiple volunteers assisted voters. Wheelchairs arranged by the Corporation helped PwDs and elderly voters reach booths without long waits.
A Mathiyas, an 86-year-old from Kodambakkam, said facilities were well arranged. "Staff brought a wheelchair as soon as I arrived," he said.
In Salem, most booths visited by TNIE had accessible ramps, wheelchairs and dedicated staff. Authorities, in coordination with disability associations, had conducted pre-election meetings to address concerns.
K Sakthivel (34), a spinal injury patient, said arrangements were smooth at his booth in Alagapuram Periya Pudur. "Wheelchairs and attendants were available, and we didn't have to wait," he said, adding that transport was also arranged.
Similarly, D Zakeer Hussain (55), a visually challenged voter from Chinna Thirupathi under Salem North, said Braille sheets and assistance were provided, encouraging greater participation among PwDs.
(With inputs from Praveena SA, Subashini Vijayakumar and Rudhran Baraasu @ Chennai, Nimisha S Pradeep @ Vellore, Sneha Sivashanmugam @ Salem, and N Ramesh @ Thanjavur)