During the Municipal Council elections being held today across the 12 wards of Samrala city, reports highlighting the local administration’s poor arrangements have come to light. Elderly and differently-abled individuals arriving to cast their votes at most polling booths faced significant difficulties. Due to the absence of wheelchairs inside these polling stations, elderly and differently-abled voters had to be assisted into the booths with great difficulty. This stands in stark contrast to the earlier claims made by the local administration that they had put excellent arrangements in place.
**Family Brings Elderly Mother to Polling Booth**
When journalists present at the scene questioned the DSP of Samrala regarding the lack of wheelchairs inside the polling booths, he stated that all other arrangements were complete; however, he acknowledged that he was now bringing the issue of wheelchairs to the attention of the SDM and the Returning Officer to ensure an immediate resolution to the problem. Meanwhile, family members of an elderly woman who had arrived to vote at the location explained that their mother was unable to walk due to old age. They recounted how they had managed to bring their elderly mother to the polling booth with great difficulty, only to find that—due to the absence of a wheelchair—they were forced to physically carry her inside the booth so she could cast her vote.
Separately, Election Duty Officer Jeevan Jot Singh asserted that all arrangements were indeed complete. He stated that all necessary provisions for voters—including drinking water and shaded seating areas inside the polling booths—had been fully secured. He further claimed that arrangements for wheelchairs had also been made within the polling booths; nevertheless, he added that wherever any issues or difficulties had arisen, they were currently re-examining the matter to resolve them.
