The world celebrates India’s general election as a festival of democracy. So far so good. And the first phase of elections is over. Again good. But as far as Andhra Pradesh is concerned, this great event, which many of us looked forward to, was marred on Thursday by malfunctioning electronic voting machines (Page 1, “As polls begin, violence mars voting in A.P., J&K” and “Parties, leaders complain about polling lapses”, both April 12). This created much agony, with women and the elderly deeply disappointed. The perception over the performance of EVMs still stands and events on Thursday have only strengthened this. Was it sheer coincidence that a number of EVMs malfunctioned even before polling started? Was there a check list to ensure EVMs were properly installed? Why weren’t sufficient technical support teams put in place to handle such contingencies? The Election Commission of India should have been completely ready before an exercise of such magnitude was conducted. The ECI has been a big disappointment.
Ananda Rao Mukkala,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
It is good to note the moderate to heavy polling, but what is more remarkable is that even in Naxalite-affected districts polling was good, with enthusiastic tribals walking kilometres to exercise their democratic right. There were cases of violence but let us note that voting was, by and large, peaceful. This augurs well for the forthcoming phases of voting. However, one has to watch for the lure of money and other incentives to entice voters.
D.B.N. Murthy,
Bengaluru
When I asked a daily wage earner, a 30-year-old woman, whether she had voted, her prompt reply was this. She voted in the Assembly elections but not on Thursday, the reason being she “hadn’t been paid for her vote”. After I had recovered from the rude shock, these questions ran through my mind. Who is giving and who is taking? Is this the sole reason why the voting percentage is below average in some parts? Why this indifference? It seems voters are coming under the spell of the ‘money-for-vote’ syndrome. Let us not forget the selfless sacrifices our freedom fighters made for all of us to be able to vote for ourselves in a democracy. Please go to a polling booth and choose even NOTA.
Mangipudi Mruthyanjaya Rao,
Hyderabad
The ECI should strive for an innovative solution to restore missing names on voter lists, a factor which did impact voter turnout. It is ironical that despite successive and extensive campaigns, quite a few are still confused about voter slips and the voter identity cards. There was enough time for technological solutions to quickly identify missing/deleted names. Perhaps an overworked ECI was busy with the many issues to be resolved under the Model Code of Conduct.
Varun S.D.,
Bengaluru