Wrong date on voter slips sends election officials into a tizzy

Vadodara: In a major faux pas, the date for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls for the Panchmahal parliamentary seat was misprinted on voters’ slips prepared. Instead April 23 the poll date was printed as April 24 on the voter slips.
To save itself from embarrassment, district election authorities reprint voter slips for 219 booths overnight and began distributing it again to all the registered voters of Morva Hadaf area.

While the correct date was stamped on most of the slips, some were distributed without correct date. The error is believed to have taken place in the slips for the Morva Hadaf area after a power failure. Officials said that the area has 253 booths and the slips for 34 booths had been printed when the failure took place.

“When the systems were restarted and the data was entered again, the date of the polls was wrongly entered as April 24. The error came to light and the correct date was stamped on the remaining slips,” said Panchmahal district collector Udit Agarwal.

But the stamps were not put on slips for two booths and the error went unnoticed till the slips were distributed and some voters noticed the mistake on Friday night. The administration swung into action and it was decided to print fresh slips for all 219 booths where the error had taken place.

“The distribution was started in the night itself and we are taking acknowledgements of those who are given the fresh slips. The process is also being videotaped,” said Agarwal. The district administration hopes to complete the process by Sunday morning.

Agarwal has also sought an explanation from the Electoral Registration Officer for the area regarding the faux pas.