Despite several efforts by the Election Commission to make people aware of checking their names in the voters’ list, many voters in the national Capital returned like every year without casting their votes after they found their names missing from the voters’ list on Saturday.
Anxious voters were seen searching their names in list at the polling booths. Some of them also involved in scuffle with the officials posted their. "I approached BLO (Booth Level Officer) after I could not find my name in the list and lodged my complaint," said Rinku Gupta, a Delhi University student who lives in Nehru Vihar area.
He further said "I exercised my votes in Lok Sabha election held last year. How my name can go missing? And I am not alone but there are many whose names are not in the list. Election Commission should have arranged alternatives so that we could vote. I have every document to prove my nationality. How can we be deprived of voting only because our names did not figure in the list?"
Vishnu (35), a resident of Kalkaji said that he had voter ID card but still denied by poll officials from voting as his name was not in the list.
"Why are we expected to check our names every year in voter list? This is ridiculous. Denying someone to exercise his vote is a crime and it violates our fundamental rights also," he said.
Iftekhar Ansari and two members of his family all resident of Gandhi Nagar were among who could not cast their votes as their names were also missing from voter's list. "We are very sad and aghast after finding our names missing. I shut down my shop and prepared to vote with family and left with disappointed finnaly," he said.
"I am the residents of this area my family is still living here. It is difficult for me to understand why my name is missing the list," said Manju Nagar, a 45 years old woman after she failed to cast her vote at Santnagar polling booth.
People reported similar complaints to poll officials in many areas. ""I am feeling very disappointed after being denied to exercise my constitutional right to vote. I have been voting in every election whether it is assembly, Municipal Corporation's or parliamentary elections but suddenly my name has been cut from the list," said Rohit Kumar, a resident of Timarpur.
A booth level officer (BLO) at Gandhi Nagar said that many of the voters are complaining about their missing names. "The commission kept advising people to check their names and approach official if found names missing but instead of doing that they keep arguing with us here," he said.
Over 1.47 crore people are eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls that will decide the fate of 672 candidates in 70 assembly constituencies, which are seeing a triangular contest among the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the opposition BJP and the Congress. The votes will be counted on February 11.