Instructions issued to give priority to senior citizens in

Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi has said that special interventions are being carried out to facilitate senior citizens, who want to exercise their franchise.
His remarks come in response to a letter by NHRC member Justice Cyriac Joseph last week requesting to make provision for separate queues for senior citizens in the coming assembly elections in Kerala.
In his reply, Zaidi said there are standing instructions of ECI for a separate queue at the polling stations, primarily for the senior citizens and physically challenged persons.
"Instructions have also been issued to give priority/precedence to senior citizens, infirm voters and women with babies over other voters in the queue, wherever separate queues are not provided for. Also provision of Help Desk has been made in the polling station locations to assist the voters," he said.

The commission has taken a serious note of a media report in which V K Beeran, Special Officer, Regulatory Board for Protecting the Rights of Senior Citizens, government of Kerala, pointed out the difficulties experienced by old people in exercising their franchise in state and Lok Sabha polls where they have to wait in queues for long time.