The Election Commission’s decision to introduce Braille ballot papers across all polling stations in Meghalaya for the Lok Sabha polls has been hailed as a step towards a more inclusive participation of voters.

Meghalaya chief electoral officer F.R. Kharkongor on Sunday said the Braille ballot papers will be available in all 3,167 polling stations under the Shillong and Tura parliamentary constituencies.

Kharkongor added that Braille electoral photo identity cards will also be available for more than 800 registered visually impaired voters in the state.

According to the 2011 census, Meghalaya has 44,317 persons with disabilities. Of them, 6,980 are visually impaired, while 12,353 of them suffer from hearing impairments. There are also 3,576 people afflicted with multiple disabilities, and 5,312 have movement-related disabilities.

Bethany Society director Carmo Noronha said the move to introduce the Braille ballots would go a long way in helping the visually-impaired voters. The society, formed in 1981, runs Jyoti Sroat Inclusive School here.

Noronha said the Braille ballot papers would help those who are literate and can read Braille.

“Braille gives the visually impaired the opportunity to be independent as voters. It is very important,” he added.

He also hailed the decision to provide assistance for wheelchair users to gain accessibility right up to the polling station.

Noronha said there is a provision where the visually impaired can take a person whom they trust with them to help them locate their desired button on the electronic voting machine.

Besides the Braille ballots, the election machinery will provide community resource and rehabilitation workers at every polling station to assist the visually impaired voters.

“Poll volunteers drawn from Bharat Scouts and Guides, Nehru Yuva Kendra and National Service Scheme will also ensure priority voting for the visually impaired,” the chief electoral officer said.

For those with weak vision, magnifiers and magnifying glasses will also be made available where required, Kharkongor added.

Meghalaya has 3,167 polling stations spread across 60 Assembly segments. Under the Shillong parliamentary seat, there are 2,053 polling stations, while Tura has 1,114 polling stations.

Of the 18,92,716 voters registered across the state, 9,56,137 voters are female. There are 76,782 first-time voters registered so far constituting about 4.06 per cent of the total electorate in Shillong and Tura parliamentary constituencies.

Under the Shillong parliamentary seat, there are 11,82,725 voters, while the number of electorate in the Tura Lok Sabha constituency is 7,09,991.

However, the figure of 18,92,716 is likely to increase, and could touch 19 lakh. The number of voters this year has gone up by 3,26,896, compared to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, when there were 15,65,820 voters.