CHENNAI: Around 100 inmates of the Government Institute of Mental Health in Kilpauk, Chennai, are all set to exercise their franchise at a special polling booth to be established on the premises of the mental health facility, which falls under the Villivakkam Assembly Constituency. Following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the names of 50 voters, out of the earlier 150, were removed from the list.
Institute of Mental Health Director Dr M Malaiappan told TNIE that the deletions occurred due to reasons such as inmates being discharged or reunited with their families, deaths, and certifications from doctors regarding the inmates’ decision-making ability.
It may be noted that the inmates were allowed to vote for the first time in the general elections in 2019, and have been casting their votes in all subsequent elections. They were given voter identity cards with the institute address, as many do not have family or relatives.
Dr Malaiappan said, during the SIR, the Election Commission accepted the institute’s address for inmates’ residential address and included them in the revised electoral rolls. The inmates were certified by psychiatrists, who assessed the former for their ability to vote for over a period of three months. He said the inmates have access to newspapers, television, and radio in their wards, and they follow developments related to political parties.
Calling the inmates aware of the current events, the institute’s director said that even during 2024 Lok Sabha elections, they were sensitised to various political parties and their symbols.
Even now, 10 days before the elections, general awareness events will be conducted for them, and they will be sensitised to the importance of voting, Dr Malaippan added. During the last Assembly elections, GCC officials held a demonstration on EVMs, and NGOs sensitised the voters to the importance of voting.