Dhadkai village, known as the silent village of India, is all set to speak up through ballots on April 19 to elect their representative during the Lok Sabha elections.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), most of Dhadkai’s population was deaf and mute, but with the efforts of the government and other agencies, the situation has improved now.
At present there are 443 voters in this village and 30 to 35 of them are deaf and dumb including a couple of first time voters.
On one side, political parties and their candidates are moving from pillar to post to seek votes from the people, no candidate has visited this village situated on a hilltop in Gandoh, around 60 kilometers from district headquarters Doda.
People have to travel for 45 minutes from the nearest road to reach this village.
However, the District Electoral Office Doda has been focusing on this village to ensure that each and every one vote is casted in the upcoming elections.
“During the last elections in 2019, the total percentage of this polling station was less than 50 percent but this time, we are ensuring that the percentage improves and most of the voters including deaf and dumb come and vote on April 19,” Harvinder Singh, District Electoral Officer (DEO) Doda told KNO.
In this regard, a team of officers accompanied by experts visited this village and gave training to deaf and dumb voters on how to vote through electronic voting machines (EVMs).
With the help of an instructor, who works in the school established by the Army for these special people, gave training on how to vote on April 19.
“Our experts conveyed the commands to the instructor who through sign language made the people understand how to vote. Few among them who have voted in the past replied in affirmative and we communicated with them in a cordial atmosphere,” said an officer, who was part of the team of experts who visited this village—(KNO)
