CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Association for the Visually Impaired president S Ayyappan on Wednesday criticised a statement attributed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding Braille literacy among visually impaired voters.

In a statement, he said that while the Commission had made commendable arrangements for the conduct of the elections in Tamil Nadu, including provisions to facilitate voting by persons with disabilities, a particular claim in its preparedness report had caused concern.

The report reportedly stated that “99% of visually impaired persons do not know Braille”, which he described as shocking and distressing. He strongly condemned the remark and urged the Commission to immediately withdraw it, and also sought an explanation on the basis of which such a claim had been made.

Pointing to gaps in implementation, Ayyappan said, “Braille-format candidate lists are not available at several polling stations for fully visually impaired voters. How can a statement be justified when basic facilities are not uniformly provided?”

He further noted that there were reports of various irregularities in the field and called upon the Commission to take appropriate action.

The organisation emphasised that, instead of estimating percentages, it should be made mandatory to provide Braille slips containing details of candidates and their symbols at all polling stations to ensure informed voting by visually impaired persons. “Let democracy flourish,” he added.