Last-minute rush drags voting beyond 9 pm at booth in TN's Erode East constituency

ERODE:  Election officials in one polling booth in Erode East constituency went the extra mile, as a large number of voters turned up at the eleventh hour to fulfil their democratic duty. 

Though polling was scheduled from 7 am to 6 pm, over 200 voters arrived at booth number 138 in Rajaji Puram minutes before voting was to end. Since officials could not turn them away, they issued tokens and made sure everybody voted. As a result, polling went on till 9.40 pm, said sources from the election section.

As polling continued past 7 pm, officials distributed refreshments and dinner to the enthusiastic voters who patiently waited in the queue to exercise their democratic right. Food and snacks were arranged for a total of 186 people due to late voting. Snacks were served around 7 pm. Food was served to those who remained beyond 8 pm.

Out of the 1,472 voters in the booth, 1,314 exercised their franchise. “There was a total of 1472 voters in booth number 138, including 694 male voters and 778 female voters. It was also the largest polling booth in the constituency. Most of the voters are casual labourers and had gone to work in the morning. More than 200 people came to vote after 5.30 pm. This was the reason for the delay in the completion of polling. Everyone was given a token and polling went on till night. A total of 1314 votes (89.27 % of voters), including 713 women cast their vote,” sources said.

A Sivakrishnan, a social activist, said, “Around 50 people came to the booth to vote after 6 pm. But the officials did not allow them. In future, the Election Commission should make alternative arrangements for latecomers.”

Returning Officer K Sivakumar said, “Those who arrived within time were allowed to vote. Those who did not arrive within the stipulated time were not allowed to enter the booth. Only the polling 138th booth was delayed. Everything went smoothly.”