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Defective voters' lists cause disappointment

By Our Correspondent

CHAMARAJANAGAR, APRIL 27. Thousands of people in Chamarajanagar district, who could not exercise their franchise in the second phase of elections on Monday because their names were missing from the electoral rolls, expressed their disappointment and anger.

In Chamarajanagar town limits, nearly 200 people could not vote. Several voters in the rural areas of the district complained that they were denied the right. At Honganoor village in Santhemaralli constituency, more than 300 people complained to election observers that their names were missing from the voters' list. Many such cases were reported from villages in Kollegal and Yelandur.

The introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs) brought its share of problems in some polling stations. The voting process was delayed for three hours at Keelalipura in the Chamarajanagar Assembly Constituency as the EVMs were not functioning properly. People from Kuderu, Demalli at Santhemarlli, and some villages at Yelandur constituency had to wait for some time for malfunctioning EVMs to be replaced. The Special Task Force had made tight security arrangements in villages in the Hanur Assembly Constituency as they are in the forest brigand Veerappan's area of operation. Many tribal people exercised their franchise at polling stations in these villages such as Gopinatham, Chengadi, Gombegallu, Nellikadaru, Begagulli, Gundall, Dantalli, Doddane, and Honnameti, amid tight STF security. Mobile units went around Hanur and Kollegal constituencies to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections.

The election was peaceful in Kollegal and Hanur except minor incidents.

Although the polling in three constituencies of the district began at 7 a.m., it was slow initially. It picked up at about 1 p.m. and the people started queuing up outside the polling stations.

At V.K. Mole village in the Kollegal constituency, a provision had been made to villagers to exercise their franchise till 8 p.m. as more than 400 voters were still in the queue at the polling stations at 4.30 p.m.

After consultation with the election authorities, the polling officers allowed the voters to exercise their franchise.

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