RELEVANCE OF RIGHT TO VOTE FOR PERSONS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN NAGPUR CITY: A CRITICAL STUDY

Freedom of expression is a core human right. All Indian citizens have a fundamental duty as well as right to vote. As all human rights are interdependent in nature, it is crucial for every individual to enjoy fundamental rights. Voting to elect political representative is the bedrock of modern democracy. Despite its immense importance, there are many marginalized sections in society which are unable to exercise their voting rights. Persons with Disabilities are one such group. The paper attempts to understand the reason for low voting turnout of this group and the extent to which the right to vote holds relevance for them. As this study is not totally based on secondary sources, survey method was also used for data collection. 20 persons with disabilities (10 persons with locomotive impairment, 5 persons with visual impairment as well as 5 persons with hearing impairment) were interviewed to know how relevant their voting right is to them and the reasons for the same