ITAHARI, May 11: A 106-year-old man of Morang district is keeping his fingers crossed with hopes of casting vote in the upcoming elections one last time before his ailing health fails him.
Reminiscing his youthful days when Aadi Mardan Thapa of Kerabari Rural Municipality-6 used to enthusiastically cast votes, the ageing man now urges the concerned authorities to make voting centers accessible to elderly citizens like him who can hardly travel without assistance.
“I couldn't cast vote in the second Constitution Assembly elections as I was not able to reach the voting center. At that time, the voting centre was three kilometers away, too much distance to travel for a man caught up with age,” he said.
This time too, unfortunately, he might not be able to fulfill his desire to cast vote as none of the members of his family are willing to take him to the polling center due to lack of transportation facilitiy.
“Years before when age didn't hinder my movement, I used to caste vote on the tree symbol. Later, my family members started casting votes for CPN-UML. This time, if given the opportunity to vote, I will utilize my voting rights to vote for whoever I think is worthy,” Thapa shared.
Like him, many senior citizens in the district share the same views. Their common request is to make the voting centers accessible to them so that they too can exercise their rights to vote.
Mahesh Timilsina, deputy secretary of the Election Commission, said the EC currently does not have provision of special facilities for elderly citizens who cannot reach the voting centers.
“Those who cannot reach voting centers due to old age should get support from their family members,” he added.
Effective implementation of Senior Citizens Act 2006 emphasize...
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