HYDERABAD: Though checks are in place to prevent the rigging of the upcoming Assembly elections, polling agents are trying their best to convince presiding officers to look the other way so that they can utilise the votes of people who don’t turn up to exercise their franchise. Government officials who worked as presiding officers for the 2014 elections said the attempts usually increase in the last 15 to 30 minutes of the polling period.
A polling percentage of 74.20 was registered in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014, with 4,81,63,530 of the State’s 6,49,34,138 electors exercising their franchise. Presiding officers are tasked with several duties at polling stations.
A presiding officer, who did not want to be named, said he was approached by a polling agent who requested that he be allowed to vote on behalf of people who had not exercised their franchise.“They don’t usually attempt this as agents from other parties too will be present at the booth.
However, during the last elections, an agent approached me when the other agents had left the room and insisted that I allow him to utilise absentee votes,” said presiding officer who was in-charge of a polling station in Hyderabad during the 2014 elections.