Democracy needs proactive participation

I managed to vote but others not so lucky didn't find their names in the rolls.

Yes, I voted, with a name that was not only spelt wrong, but strangely had an extra word as well – "Meja Pramod Kumar".

Over two months ago, I had submitted the form for changing the errors in my name to the ARO, and had got his signed receipt. When I applied for the ID card last month, I realised my name was still listed incorrectly. To avoid missing a chance to vote, I got the same name printed on my ID card. (Now that this election is over, I need to start the process of applying for corrections in the rolls and getting another EPIC card all over again, but that will be another story.)

I voted and waited outside the booth for quite some time to see the reactions from people when they came out. In the 40 minutes that I spent in this exercise, at least 25 to 30 people came out angry at not finding their names on the list. Some carried their EPIC cards, and some others carried their passports or driving licenses etc. but they could not find their names on the list. They were more angry than disappointed. When I asked them why they had not verified if their names were included in the voters list, especially when enough publicity and time were given, many had no answer. Apathy, complacency or what?

Why are we complaining and blaming the system when we are not proactively participating in the process ourselves? That the entire system of enumeration and logging the data accurately need a total flip and overhaul is acknowledged and accepted. This time, there was a private firm which was given the responsibility of issuing ID cards. What a mess they made of it. Why? Because the authorities selected a company that had poor credentials and no accountability. One had to experience the quality and lack of enthusiasm of the people manning these booths. It was frightening.

I intend to interact with Mr. M.N. Vidyashankar (Chief Electoral Officer) and pass on suggestions on improving the process. If you have any ideas on this, please do share them; I would like to interact with you

Comments:

  1. Purnima Coontoor says:

    My sentiments exactly. While I admire the elction commission for pulling off elections almost every year in the world’s largest democracy,the non-inclusion of thousands of legitimate voters in the list was unpardonable. The issue of voter id cards was an entirely goofed up affair. Like Mr. Kapur points out, the agencies chosen to issue id cards were arrogant and inneficeint. They were rude and impatient, and treated people who had queued up as if they were morons. I had to fight to get my name spelt right too. But many meekly took ‘no’ for an answer.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Perambur Railway Station grapples with redevelopment chaos

The congestion around Perambur Railway Station combined with the lack of a proper SWD and sewage system, is causing difficulties for commuters.

Perambur, the second oldest railway station in Chennai after Royapuram was taken up for restoration under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at ₹17.86 crores months after the foundation stone was laid on August 6, 2023. The Coimbatore-based contractor, who was initially awarded the tender, backed out for unknown reasons and the contract was retendered and awarded to a different company. The work is currently in progress. According to the original plan, the main railway station building was supposed to be constructed at the extreme west end of the first platform behind the existing parking area and buildings are already under…

Similar Story

BBMP e-khata: Answering some more frequently asked questions

In the second part of the series on e-khata, we address queries on property ownership, transactions, technical issues, and NRI access.

The e-khata project of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) digitises all manually maintained property records, making them accessible to citizens. In Part 1 of the two-part series on Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Munish Moudgil, BBMP Special Commissioner (Revenue) addressed queries on the digitisation process and other general questions on e-khata. In the second part, we look at property ownership and transaction, technical and portal issues, apartment-specific queries, name/data corrections, and language/format issues. We also examine issues pertaining to non-resident owners and inheritance, ward/location, fees and the process. Property ownership and transactions Q: Can e-khata serve as sole proof of…