Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Apr 3: Ravi Bangera, convener of 'Daari Mangalore', in a letter addressed to chief electoral officer of Karnataka, Sanjiv Kumar, has drawn the attention of the latter to the fact that five percent of the population in the state has taken to begging for survival. He also has mentioned about the plight of people living in rehabilitation centres and shelters like orphans without any families. "Most of them have lost the right to vote vested with them by the constitution as they do not have identity cards. Are they not the citizens of India? Is it not true that even a single vote for a candidate plays an important role as per the constitution in forming a government under democracy," he said.

Ravi says that when he brought this to the notice of the deputy commissioner of the district over phone, the officer told him that people who do not have a place to live do not get voting rights. "I want to know how can they be called beggars if they have a house to stay? Was it not the intention of the constitution that the government should give the people the right to live?" he wondered.

He has written to the state electoral officer that it would be wrong to rob these people of their right to vote, and requested polling to be kept in abeyance till even beggars having no place to live are given right to vote like the others in the country.