Karnataka - Bangalore   

Missing names continue to haunt poll process

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

Disenfranchised: Residents of Bommanahalli whose names were missing from the electoral rolls showing their photo identity cards in Bangalore on Saturday.

BANGALORE: Thousands of voters in Bangalore city had to return disappointed after their names were found missing from the electoral list despite revision of electoral rolls a couple of times during the past six months. In several constituencies voters claimed that people on entire streets could not exercise their franchise because their names were missing.

It was a common sight to see voters moving from booth to booth in search of their names on the list, only to be disappointed. Party workers assisting voters to find their names on the list near the polling booths in most constituencies told The Hindu that a large number of voters returned disappointed because their names could not be traced.

Voters at Khadi Bhavan polling booth in K.R. Puram constituency said the names of voters on three roads in Vijinapura locality were missing entirely.

S. Lakshmana, an autorickshaw driver who came from Jayanagar to Dayananda Higher Primary School in Nandini Layout in Mahalakshmi Layout constituency to cast his vote, was disappointed to find his name missing from the roll. “For the past 20 years I have been voting, and I am shocked that my name is not on the list this time. I have also lost the day’s income,” he said.

Sudhakar, a resident of Tigalarapalya in Yeshwanthpur constituency said, “Those left out are mostly old voters and not the ones who were recently added to the list.” He said that when they went to verify the draft voters’ list, they were told that since they had the elector’s photo identity card, they need not worry. However, on the day of voting, they found their names missing.

An activist of the Dalit Panthers of India said that close to 20 per cent of the voters’ names were missing in Sagayapuram and D.J. Halli in Pulakeshinagar.

Nawaz (55), a resident of Lingarajapuram, complained that he and five of his family members could not vote because their names were not on the list. He complained that he had been staying in the locality for 15 years and had voted in the last elections. Leelamma and 15 of her neighbours, all residents of Jeevanahalli, had a similar complaint.

A large number of residents of lower-middle-class areas in Bommanahalli constituency, including Bandepalya and Mangammanapalya, also could not exercise their franchise though they had their photo identity cards. “Old residents have disappeared from the list, while new ones are there,” complained Sayeda Banu in Manganapalya. Hundreds had gathered around booths in Yarabnagar in Padmanabhnagar constituency and Okalipuram in Gandhinagar constituency with the same complaint.

Voters whose names were missing could be seen arguing with polling officers and security personnel.

On Seppings Road, party representatives at the helpdesks for eight polling booths found it hard to convince people that they were helpless and could do nothing if names were missing from the electoral rolls.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Bangalore city witnesses a poor 44 per cent voter turnout
IIM-B’s offer
Making your displeasure with candidates known
Missing names continue to haunt poll process
Glitches in EVMs set right
Stray incidents of violence reported
Proxy voting upsets those whose votes were snatched
Age has not diminished her enthusiasm to vote
CLAT today
Bodies of accident victims handed over to family
Bus services to new airport
With no identity proof, many fail to vote
EC norms ensure discipline at booths
Shinde plays power politics
Bangalore today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu