TENKASI: After a 53-year-old man mistakenly cast his vote in the name of his 25-year-old son, the latter was allowed to cast his father's vote by the Returning Officer of Alangulam constituency on Tuesday.
Thangamani (25) said, "The polling staff delivered the booth slips for my family members on Monday. Since all of them were pinned together, my father, Mathiyalagan, who cannot read, brought my booth slip to the booth instead of his. Even though it was his fault, the staff on election duty should have noticed the mismatch in the name and age on the booth slip. But, the polling staff allowed him to cast his vote in my name. Later, when I was not allowed to cast my vote by the staff, I brought this issue to the knowledge of the Returning Officer. He then allowed me to cast my father's vote."
When contacted by TNIE, Returning Officer Rajamanoharan said that the polling staff and the booth agents of different political parties should have noticed the mismatch before Mathiyalagan voted. However, he refused to give an answer to the question on how a father and his son could exchange their votes.