Kanpur: Thirty-year-old Shruti Bhatla and Gorey Bhatla, the twins suffering from brittle bone disease, could not cast their vote here as they were left bedridden due to recent fractures.
Brittle bone disease, also called osteogenesis imperfecta, is a genetic disorder that causes bones to break easily.
Their mother Sonia Bhatla said Gorey developed fractures on Saturday while for Shruti, the problem cropped up a few days ago, leaving them bedridden.
The twins were keen to cast their vote and hoped all day that government officials will help them exercise their right, the mother said, adding that they vote every election.
She said fractures made it impossible for them to vote this time in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, the third phase polling of which was held on Sunday. "For normal people with fractures, a plaster or surgery is likely to help them heal, but in their case, even small movements can lead to fractures," their mother says.
These days fractures develop less frequently in comparison with the past, she says, adding that it takes 40 to 50 days for them to heal.
Gorey recollects the time she had met the President of India. She says the then President Pratibha Patil helped them in their treatment at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow.
The twins say they hope to meet the prime minister
one day.