Her 8-yr-long wait comes to an end

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, April 18

Vandana Dhillon (26) waited for eight years to get the right to cast her vote. She is disabled from the waist down and uses a wheelchair. She will exercise her franchise for the first time in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

On Thursday, she attended a function organised by the district administration for the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).

She said, “I am really happy. Earlier, when I used to see others going to cast their votes, I would feel upset because I did not have the right to vote. But, now I am elated,” said Vandana.

Vandana was only two years old when she had suffered from high fever and her lower limb and arm stopped working. The situation worsened with the time and such was the condition that doctors had asked Vandana’s mother to stop hoping that she would live long. But she survived.

Vandana understands that every vote has the power to bring a change in society. “Now, I will exercise the franchise. I want that the government must do something for the disabled so that they do not have to depend on others,” she added.

Roads are in a dilapidated condition and my electronic wheelchair stopped working properly due to them.