Apr.19 was D-day; Though the roads were empty, polling booths teamed with residents who came out to vote in Phase 1 of the Lok Sabha elections of 2024.
Our neighbourhood is part of the Chennai South constituency, which comprises assembly constituencies of Velachery, Sholinganallur, Mylapore, Saidapet, Virugambakkam, and T.Nagar. The constituency boasts a total of 20,23,133 electors including 10,00,851 male, 10,21,818 female and 464 third gender electors.
As per the Voter Turnout app by the Election Commission of India, Chennai South registered a total of 54.27% of voter turnout: Mylapore – 53.78%; Saidapet – 53.25%, Sholinganallur – 55.33%, T.Nagar – 53.37%, Velachery – 54.31% and Virugambakkam – 53.92%.
While voting went on smoothly in most places, discrepancies were also reported by some voters who returned disappointed. Adyar Times shares some of the feedback from the neighbourhood.
The Election Commission and the State administration deserve our appreciation for the arrangements to exercise our franchise for the Lok Sabha poll. The online systems were also enabling features this time for the smooth process. I took my Nonagenarian mother Mrs Padma Ramachandran to the polling booth at The Hindu Senior Secondary School, Indira Nagar, to cast her vote. She has been voting in each election since the first elections of free India in 1951. She hasn’t missed a single election. I had earlier requested her to opt for the postal ballot, but she declined and wanted to partake in the process in person and inspire the young and old to step out and fulfil an important responsibility as a citizen. Cheers to her spirit. Long live our Democracy.
The poll officials and the policeman at the entrance and the booth extended all courtesies and took care of senior citizens giving them a seat to relax and then cast the vote. There were para-medical volunteers too to assist voters who may fall sick due to the heatwave. At the booth, it was systematic processing and the voting was completed in no time, making it a very pleasant experience. My mother conveys her gratitude to the team of officials for the meticulous arrangements, the police and the volunteers who showered care and concern for the elderly.
Well done Election Commission Team!
R.Sundar, Indira Nagar
My wife Geetha and myself are happy to exercise our right to vote. Chennai Corporation executive Ms Vinothini visited our apartment and distributed the Voter Information Slip that carried information such as name, EPIC and Serial No. etc.
At 6.45 am, we arrived at our polling place, the Arignar Anna Govt School, Besant Nagar. Voters were invited into the booth at precisely 7 am. Following the inclusion of three elderly citizens, one of whom was physically challenged, we cast our votes and participated in the Festival of Democracy. Security personnel were seen ensuring smooth conduct and guided senior citizens and physically challenged persons at the polling station.
S.Ramalingam, Sastri Nagar
My wife Ms Lakshmi Balagopal and myself, both senior citizens went to vote as usual in the school at Besant Nagar. The election commission had clearly stated that one can vote if you have any one identity card like Aadhar card, driving license etc. Even though we were present at the polling booth with our VoterID and Aadhar card, the officials refused to allow us to vote, on the ground that our names are not found in their list. This is a criminal disregard for our rights.
Capt. Balagopal, Indira Nagar
When the Election Commission officials came to distribute the Voter Information Slip door to door, only my name was missing in my family. The officials said that they would get back to me after checking on the issue. I am yet to hear from them. Meanwhile, I assumed that my name would be there in the voting list on the day of the election. However, today at the polling station I was informed that I have been marked as ‘DELETED’. I contested it immediately, however was informed that I couldn’t do anything because of the deleted status. After a long wait, I got to meet the ARO, who too said that there was little he could help with at the moment and that I needed to wait for a week to know why my name got deleted.
Very disappointed to miss voting in this election!
Subsequently, I got to know that many like me couldn’t vote. One wonders if this was deliberately done or a genuine human error.
G.Lekha, Kasturba Nagar
The thrill of going to a polling booth to vote is something else! Since 1951, I have not missed a single election and was in no mood to miss this one too. No official came home to give me the Voter Information Slip. But I was confident that my name would be there on the list.
I went early to my polling booth at Arignar Anna Govt School, Besant Nagar, and was taken aback when I was told that my name was missing. I refused to budge till this issue was sorted out. None of the officials present had any clue on what to do. There were no other officials representing the election commission present there. The Corporation Zonal Officer noted my details and said that he would look into it. Since we didn’t take our mobile phone, we were unable to do anything further and were forced to return home. From home, I tried to contact Corporation officials, including the RDC – South, but to no avail. As a last resort, I contacted the Corporation Commissioner, post which the gears seemed to move a little. By early evening, got a call from the Zonal Officer stating that they had found my name and requested me to come and vote. Thus in the evening, I finally cast my vote!
How many more such people have been missed, I wonder! How many votes were lost due to the non-availability of officials? One thing I learned this time is that one has to be very persistent to vote and not leave it as is!
️ Kudos to the Election Commission and all officials for ensuring a smooth voting experience in our neighbourhood! It’s heartening to see citizens, young and old, participating actively in the democratic process. #EveryVoteCounts #Democracy
Good coverage ..keep up the good job
️ Kudos to the Election Commission and all officials for ensuring a smooth voting experience in our neighbourhood! It’s heartening to see citizens, young and old, participating actively in the democratic process. #EveryVoteCounts #Democracy