Poll officials in Belagavi face a unique problem. They need to find tables that can accommodate four ballot units of the electronic voting machine (EVM) and the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT).
There are 57 candidates in the fray for the Belagavi Lok Sabha seat. Each ballot unit has slots for 15 names and the None of the Above option and therefore each booth has to have place for one big table or two small tables to hold the five machines. The control unit of the EVM has to be placed near the polling officer’s table and hence the room has to be spacious enough to house all the furniture and equipment.
Logistics, apparently, is not the only issue. “If a voter wants to see the printout of his/her vote, he will have to go to the table [with the VVPAT] immediately after pressing the button. If he does not make it in seven seconds, he will not be able to see the printout,” an officer, who held a meeting of polling officers in Belagavi, said.
As many as 67 persons had filed 72 sets of nomination papers for Belagavi, with 42 applications on the last day. Of them, three candidates were rejected and seven withdrew in favour of the BJP. Of the 57, four represent political parties and the rest are Independents.
While Suresh Angadi is the BJP nominee, Virupakshi Sadhunavar is the Congress candidate, Badruddin Kamdod represents the BSP, and Manjunath Rajappanavar is contesting on behalf of Uttama Prajakeeya Paksha.
Most Independents are said to be workers of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) that had vowed to field 101 candidates to attract national attention to their demand for merging Belagavi with Maharashtra.
In 1996, Belagavi had 456 candidates in the fray, including 452 Independents. While all the Independents lost their deposits, the Election Commission was forced to delay voting in the constituency by a month to print the ballot papers.
At a recent meeting, senior MES leaders asked the youth to support the cause of Marathi unity. Deepak Dalvi, MES leader, recalled the 1996 polls when the samiti fielded 452 candidates. “This had attracted the attention of the whole country. Even international media houses carried the story,” Mr. Dalvi said.
The leaders had vowed to encourage 101 MES workers to file nominations and 1,010 supporters to second them. The MES is not a national or a State party and hence, only has registration and not recognition. It does not have a permanent symbol and its members are given several symbols during different elections. They are virtually treated as Independents. They need to get the support of 10 voters to file nominations, while the candidates of recognised parties need only one supporter.
However, till the last day of nominations, the MES could only muster support for about 50 candidates. Even among them, the BJP managed to convince seven to withdraw their nominations and support it.