Voting turned out to be agonising and frustrating for many across the city during Saturday’s polling as the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) malfunctioned in several booths. While voting was disrupted in some places, the process was deferred to Monday in Lottegollahalli under Hebbal constituency. This means voters have to revisit the booth on a working day. In fact, not a single vote was cast in Lottegollahalli till 4 pm on Saturday. Voters had to wait in the hot sun until the fault was rectified. But voters in ward 2 complained that the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine –which prints the voter’s choice for confirmation— reflected names other than the ones they chose. Following complaints from the voters, election officials in the booth suspended polling as they could not resolve the issue.
Hebbal constituency’s returning officer Narasimhappa clarified that the officials do not have a choice to replace the machines in the middle of the polling process.
“We held mock elections prior to the polling hours to check if everything was going
fine. But we don’t have the choice to replace the machines,” he said.
The VVPAT machines here also jammed once in five minutes. So, the polling officials were left with no other choice but to suspend the process, disappointing many young voters who eagerly waited in the queue.
Full Article: Malfunctioning EVMs leave voters frustrated | Deccan Herald.