PANJIM: An 88-year-old woman from Panjim, whose name was deleted from electoral role, has urged the Election Commission to allow her to cast her vote through ballot paper in the recently held Assembly election, stating that voting is her right.
Sebastiana Diniz, who was brought on a wheelchair at the polling station on the polling day on February 14 could not exercise her franchise even after waiting for nearly two hours.
Diniz has now petitioned to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) requesting him to allow her to cast her vote through ballot paper and add it to the counting process.
In her letter Diniz said, “Despite COVID-19 pandemic and my age-related issues and other health problems, I took the risk to be present at the polling station only to be told that I am not eligible to vote even though I was fully registered and carried my EPIC with me. I had to return home most dejected after bearing with the officers in-charge, who put me through a lot of stress, anxiety and embarrassment, while I was kept seated in a wheelchair for hours.”
“Considering my age (88 years) and my various health issues, I am not even sure whether I would be living or not until the next Assembly elections,” Diniz said urging the Election Commission to ensure that her valuable vote does not go waste.
