It is seven in the morning. 19-year-old Suganthi is bustling with excitement, geared up to cast her first vote. Like any enthusiastic first timer, she rushes to the booth, only to find her name missing from the list. “I applied for a voter’s ID as soon as I turned 18 and I got it right on time for the elections. But I still wasn’t allowed to vote because my name didn’t appear in the list,” she says in a disappointed tone.
The Corporation’s lackadaisical attitude towards addressing the woes of the voters is attributed to be a reason behind the low turnout in South Chennai. Shantha Sankaran, a homemaker from Tiruvanmiyur, says, “I have a voter’s ID, but when I checked the polling list for my area, my name did not appear. I went to the Corporation office at least seven times, but was sent back every time with the promise that the error will be rectified. Even after submitting all the required proofs and documents, my name failed to appear in the list. Ultimately I couldn’t cast my vote.” Same was the case of Dinesh, a resident of Velachery, who says, “I recently shifted to Velachery from Mylapore. I notified the Corporation officials of the change in my address, but I still couldn’t find my name in the electoral list.”
Subramanian, who was on micro-observer duty on the day of elections, says, “It is ironic that while I was regulating the voting process, I was unable to cast my vote. I have a voter’s ID and I have been voting regularly, but this time my name somehow got left out from the electoral list.”
Many others were unable to cast their vote as they were not in city on the day of polling. Says Dr V Jayanthi, “My son, who is studying in Kerala, was unable to come down and vote despite having a voter’s ID.”
Raj Sekhar, a student studying in Delhi faced the same problem. “My voter’s ID is valid in Chennai, but I was unable to come down to vote due to the election rush,” he says.
Dharmambal Srinivasan, a 78-year-old, says, “My husband and I vote every time without fail, but this time we were in Chennai for a function, while we are registered in Truvannamalai.” These people, like many others, were unaware of the postal vote facility provided by the Election Commission of India. The postal voting option allows a voter to cast his vote through ballot papers via post. It would have been a boon to students like Raj who were not able to cast their vote because they were elsewhere.
The scorching Chennai heat was to be blamed for a few others who failed to vote. Viji, a homemaker from Besant Nagar says, “I forgot to take my voter’s ID when I went in the morning to vote, so they sent me back. By the time I got out of the polling booth, it was very hot and the queue was serpentine. I was not willing to endure a second round in the heat, and hence decided not to vote.”
Sandhya from Velachery has a similar story to share. “The heat is so unbearable that it dampens all the voting spirit one has. My election booth was in Pammal, but I was not ready to travel the distance in this heat,” she adds.
— With inputs from B Roshne, Jayashri Ramesh and Mythreyee Ramesh