The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Voters put thumb impression on symbols

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 30, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Voters put thumb impression on symbols

Ravi Reddy

— Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

Responsibility over: Lambada women proudly look at their thumbs after casting their vote at Polepally village in Jadcherla Assembly constituency in Mahabubnagar district on Thursday.

JADCHERLA (Mahabubnagar dt.): Officials on poll duty spent some anxious moments when they failed to hear the beep sound of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in some polling booths of Jadcherla Assembly constituency on Thursday.

It was not faulty EVMs that caused the confusion, but the lack of awareness among the illiterate voters. A number of voters put their thumb impression on the party symbols instead of the button on the machines.

Notwithstanding such isolated problems, the constituency recorded heavy polling of 67 per cent. Incident-free polling was reported from the constituency. Available trends indicate close contest between the Congress and the TDP.

As per the procedure, voters were made to either affix their signature before the presiding officer or put thumb impression.

Voters walked into the special enclosure and put their thumb impression on the party symbols and came out. On checking the machines, officials found the symbols full of ink.

Such instances were reported from Balanagar, Jadcherla and Boothpur mandals on Thursday. During a visit to the polling station at ZP High School at Balanagar, an elderly women voter Bheemani Narsamma said she could not identify the button and put her thumb impression on the symbol. Officials manning the booths also confirmed this.

Polepally, the sleepy village that shot into limelight after 13 displaced people of the Pharma Special Economic Zone (SEZ) entered the electoral battle, too experienced a similar situation.

An election official said they had to repeatedly clean the EVMs as the symbols were not visible.

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

Andhra Pradesh