Shreyas HS
Daijiworld Media Network-Mangalore

Mangalore, Apr 18: It was observed that during the election proceedings in DK on Thursday, April 17, amidst the seriousness of exercising the franchise in the world’s largest democracy, incidents like, altering the poll rules, marking ink on the wrong hand, worries due to the adhar card, lesson to a presiding officer and others gave a touch of light humor to the elections.

Ink mark to the right hand thumb

As many as fifteen voters were marked on their right hand thumbs at poll station 158, Capitanio. This was due to the ignorance of the person who was assigned the work of marking the thumb. The incident came to light when a person showed a wrongly marked finger to a freelance journalist, following which the journalist informed the presiding officer of the booth to rectify the mistake. After this, no such incidents were reported.

Picture for reference only, not related to this news items

Chaos after officer altered the poll norm

It was informed to the electorate that the identity slip issued a day before the polling was sufficient to exercise the vote. However, at booth number 104 at Karkala, after an hour of polling, the presiding officer denied the right to vote to those who carried only their identity slip to the booth. He insisted that the epic card was necessary to cast their vote.

Chaos erupted when the voters started a heated argument with the officer contending that the identity card was the only requirement to vote as it was informed to the people through media. Moreover, in the wee hours, the people who had voted did so showing the same slip. This was informed to the officer during the argument claiming the officer had changed the rule in between the poll according to his will.

The officer who seemed adamant to listen to any arguments put forth by the people said that he had not allowed any one to vote without presenting the epic card. Troubled by the situation, the voters informed the Tahsildar and the election officer. Following the complaint, they directed the poll presiding officer to continue with the polling.

Adhar later became niradhar

At the Handelu polling booth, Moodabidri zonal president of the Karnataka state farmers association Dhanakeerti Balipa had come with his adhar card to cast his vote. But the official at the booth sent him back to bring some other ID proof saying that the adhar card does not work during the elections. Irked by the incident, a frustrated Balipa went home to bring another ID proof to cast his vote.
 
Lesson to the presiding official

In the polling booth at Bolwar that falls in the Puttur assembly constituency, a lawyer taught an officer a lesson of regulations listed for the elections.

When the presiding officer denied the voting right to a septuagenarian Parvati (75), a lawyer, K E Shivaprasad intervened saying she can cast her vote with the ID slip. When the officer argued with the lawyer, he asked the officer to read rule number 11 from the papers that provided the regulations to the officers. After going through the rule he said that the ID slip was sufficient to vote. Feeling humiliated, the officer finally allowed the lady to cast her vote.

Alive voters appeared on the list of deceased

Few in DK were shocked to death when they heard that they were ‘dead’ according to the list of the deceased that was with the poll officials. ‘You are dead, you are not allowed to vote,’ were the words uttered by the officials that started an argument in some booths across the district. Understanding the situation, the officials made alternate arrangements of taking down the written statement from the voter; further allowing then to vote.

‘I don’t have water and power supply; I do not want to vote’

Meena Shedti of Moodabidri reflected her agony before the booth officials claiming she has no access to water and power supply. Continuing her cry, she further questioned as to why she should vote when her problems were not addressed. (enk neer ijji, karent ijji, yaan daye vote padodu), but she finally agreed to vote.