THOOTHUKUDI: Polling day in Thoothukudi district began at 7 am on Friday. Even though technical glitches were reported at 11 places across the district, officials said that the EVMs were replaced to conduct smooth polling.
Missing votes
Over 173 people at Thalavaipuram polling booth in Mela Tiruchendur were not allowed to cast their votes as their name were missing from the voters' list. Similarly, 30 people who had come to cast their votes at Thooya Mihavel higher secondary school in Mudalur, returned without exercising their franchise. Despite multiple requests, polling officials and booth agents told them that they can not vote this time, and asked them to rectify the anomalies so that they can vote next time.
Voters' opinions
First-time voter Guru said that he is happy about havibg fulfilling his duty as a citizen. "I voted for a change of guard at centre," he said. An elderly couple, Edwin and Margery, who had come to cast votes at Kamaraj college booth, told TNIE that they have come all the way from Hyderabad.
No wheelchair facility
At Kumaran Vilai near Sathankulam, accessing polling booths proved to be a herculean task for disabled voters due to the lack of wheelchair facilities. A disabled voter was seen crawling till the polling station at TNDTA middle school in Kumaran Vilai.
Two cast tendered votes
One Ramar, who had come to cast vote at Srivaikuntam polling station, was informed that his vote had already been polled the same morning. Since he could not exercise his franchise, polling officials permitted him to mark tendered ballots. "The tendered vote can not be counted. So it is not useful," said a dejected Ramar. Similarly, Vadivel Raja cast a tendered vote at Kovilpatti government women's higher secondary school.
'Dead' voter's franchise
At Kovilpatti, Maruthappan (70) of Sinthamani Nagar was shocked to note that his vote was found deleted from the voters' list, almost as if he had died. When he approached polling officers at Puthugramam polling station with his booth slips, he was allowed to cast vote after his fingerprints were obtained.
Different on paper
The district administration set up four model polling stations and four all women-administered polling stations in the district. However, the BMC Matriculation Hr Secondary School, designated as a model polling station on paper, was not one in reality. "We were not aware that it was declared so," said one of the officers. The all women polling station at Kamaraj college was not noted so either. Besides, the micro observer at the pink booth was a man.