By Saneem Afshain

The people having disabilities are being excluded from birth and national registration in Nepal. As these disabled persons experiencing disgrace and are being not listed in the national registration processes for voting and participating in the national politics of Nepal.

The right to vote is a fundamental human right of everybody and is an essential inhaling process in the democratic setup. It is also in line with the worldwide, equal, free, and clandestine voting principles to form an integral part of the fundamental right of persons with disabilities to vote. However, persons with disabilities, especially those who are blind have been prevented from gaining access to polling places in Nepal which is a sheer violation of their fundamental human rights.

At the moment. Nepal is a signatory to several international human rights documents including the Agreement on the committee of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), still, the Policymakers of Nepal are not ready to address disability issues at the earliest practical to change such a wrong mindset.

Article 18 of clause (2) of Nepal's Constitution 2015 states that there shall be no discrimination against anyone, including those with disability. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2017 Section 11 also states that persons with disability should be treated on an equal basis as other persons, shall have the right to contest the election in a courageous atmosphere, and have the right to cast votes voluntarily with free of any pressure.

However, the government is incapable to act on this lawful plan which is necessary to allow persons with incapacities their right to cast the vote. The global law agenda pursues to safeguard that person with infirmities to enjoy the same rights as fit people.

Disabled people frequently experience social, legal, and, most importantly, practical barriers to exercising their voting rights. Nepal’s election laws regarding assistance to vote say that voters with disabilities may be accompanied by the polling officer, or a close family member allowed by the polling officer to cast their votes.

There must be a separate line available for voters with disability or illnesses, the elderly, pregnant women, and new mothers. Despite the elaborate provisions on including persons with disabilities in political and public life in Nepal, political participation by persons with disabilities remains minimal.

The barriers to their participation are also concerning public transport remains mainly unapproachable to them due to the design of public service vehicles and the approach of the operators.

Many persons with disabilities, therefore in Nepal avoid activities including voting and participating in political rallies. The attitude towards persons with disabilities remains a major hindrance to their equal and full participation in society. Some persons with disabilities also suffer shame in voter identification and national registration processes during the identification process.

This disgrace causes them to choose between national registration and voting registration exercises. Informational and communication barriers: This occurs when the method of sharing information is not accessible.

The election laws refer to persons with disabilities and psychosocial disabilities as being of an unsound mind, confining their right to vote as preserved in the international human rights instruments. During the 2017 provincial and federal elections of Nepal, it has been found that the votes of disabled people, specifically those having an intellectual and psychosocial disability and visual impairment, were misused.

It has been measured that even the nomination fees presented by the Election Commission are not in the reach of most persons with disabilities. As a State Party to the committee of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), Nepal must first, hold seminars, and workshops for disability rights activists to guide them with national and international frameworks that protect their rights.

It is also necessary to provide Braille or audio guides for persons with visual disabilities. There should be a set-up for them to cast their vote on the ground floor to make polling booths accessible for wheelchair users. It is also the duty of the Disabled Persons' Organizations (DPOs) to train persons with disabilities to serve as election interests in Nepal.