In recent years, the discourse around disability in India has shifted from charitable to rights-oriented approaches. However, equal representation of the disabled population in India remains a far cry from achieving a genuinely inclusive and participatory democracy (Cruz, 2015). The 2011 census conducted in India declared that 2.21% of the country’s population is disabled, which roughly amounts to 2.68 crore people. However, only a small fraction of the voters are registered to vote. India demonstrated its early commitment to disability rights and was among the first countries to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in May 2007. It modelled one of the critical legislations, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act), in India on the principles of the Convention. At the same time, the Convention and the RPwD Act advocate for including Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in every sphere, whether social, political, or economic; their representation and participation remain marginal even today. It has been eight years since the passing of the RPwD Act in India. Still, PwDs are not part of the mainstream political discourse, and their voting rights have been made somewhat symbolic instead of participatory. While India has earned the title of the largest participative democracy in the world, it has yet to achieve the status of a truly inclusive democracy. This chapter’s central thesis outlines why PwDs in India are not part of the mainstream voting demographic and presents a roadmap for change.

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Disabling the Disabled Voters: A Critical Analysis of the Exclusion of Persons with Disabilities from India's Voting Demographic

  • Arman Ali,
  • Diksha Jhingan

摘要

In recent years, the discourse around disability in India has shifted from charitable to rights-oriented approaches. However, equal representation of the disabled population in India remains a far cry from achieving a genuinely inclusive and participatory democracy (Cruz, 2015). The 2011 census conducted in India declared that 2.21% of the country’s population is disabled, which roughly amounts to 2.68 crore people. However, only a small fraction of the voters are registered to vote. India demonstrated its early commitment to disability rights and was among the first countries to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in May 2007. It modelled one of the critical legislations, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act), in India on the principles of the Convention. At the same time, the Convention and the RPwD Act advocate for including Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in every sphere, whether social, political, or economic; their representation and participation remain marginal even today. It has been eight years since the passing of the RPwD Act in India. Still, PwDs are not part of the mainstream political discourse, and their voting rights have been made somewhat symbolic instead of participatory. While India has earned the title of the largest participative democracy in the world, it has yet to achieve the status of a truly inclusive democracy. This chapter’s central thesis outlines why PwDs in India are not part of the mainstream voting demographic and presents a roadmap for change.