Low turnout, missing names, faulty EVMs headline poll day
484 Firms Force Staff To Work, Get Notices
Team TOI 19.04.2019
Malfunctioning of EVMs, VVPAT machines and absence of names on the voters list at a few locations marred an otherwise peaceful polling in the city on a hot and sultry Thursday when just 59.01% of the voters turned up to register the lowest turnounts in the state. While 61.76% in the predominantly working class North Chennai voted, Chennai Central registered 57.86% and South was the least at 57.43%.
Four hours after polling began, the turnout was 23.37%. It was 37.09% at 1pm, 47.26% at 3pm and 57.14%by 5pm.
While paramilitary forces ensured that a few ‘vulnerable’ and ‘sensitive’ booths remained peaceful, a few stray incidents created a flutter in a few pockets in the north. At the Chennai Corporation HS School at C Kalyanapuram under Perambur constituency, with 13 booths, ‘agents’ of the two Dravidian majors were locked in an argument over the AIADMK’s chief agent trying to influence voters before police stepped in.
Snags in EVMs delayed polling at a few places in Central and South Chennai, including Royapettah and Triplicane, and some EVMs not functioning prompted DMK president M K Stalin to term the Election Commission “an alliance partner” of the party at the Centre. He was talking to reporters after voting at SIET College in Teynampet (South Chennai). At Milton School, Choolaimedu, 60-year-old J Philomina, who was one of the first to enter the booth around 8am, was stumped when the EVM did not work. “The officials were clueless,” she said.
Names missing from the list irked voters at T Nagar, Anna Nagar, Alwarpet and a few other areas, with some ‘fighting’ with poll officials. Many could not show online proof as they weren’t allowed to use mobile phones. R Rajan of T Nagar was among 10-odd people deprived of the chance to vote. “We did not get our booth slips and our names were missing from the rolls,” he said.
T Balasubramanian of Porur, who found himself in a similar situation, said, “My wife’s name was there but mine was missing. I have been voting in the same booth since 1992.” Officials said they were bound by the rules.
While some like Latha at Gnanodhya Girls High School in Chernnai North were irked by the long wait, many whose names were on the list could not vote. After employees of 484 private companies in Tamil Nadu, including IT firms in Chennai and Coimbatore, complained that they were forced to work, labour department rectified 473 complaints by asking the firms to shut immediately. “Notices will be issued to the remaining 11 companies through Election Commission of India,” a senior official said.
The state government had earlier issued orders stating that no commercial establishment should function on April 18 and should grant a day’s leave with pay to all employees. The labour department has set up a hotline — 044-24321438 — for employees to complain.
MAKING IT COUNT: Voters line up at a polling station in Saidapet
484 Firms Force Staff To Work, Get Notices
Team TOI 19.04.2019
Malfunctioning of EVMs, VVPAT machines and absence of names on the voters list at a few locations marred an otherwise peaceful polling in the city on a hot and sultry Thursday when just 59.01% of the voters turned up to register the lowest turnounts in the state. While 61.76% in the predominantly working class North Chennai voted, Chennai Central registered 57.86% and South was the least at 57.43%.
Four hours after polling began, the turnout was 23.37%. It was 37.09% at 1pm, 47.26% at 3pm and 57.14%by 5pm.
While paramilitary forces ensured that a few ‘vulnerable’ and ‘sensitive’ booths remained peaceful, a few stray incidents created a flutter in a few pockets in the north. At the Chennai Corporation HS School at C Kalyanapuram under Perambur constituency, with 13 booths, ‘agents’ of the two Dravidian majors were locked in an argument over the AIADMK’s chief agent trying to influence voters before police stepped in.
Snags in EVMs delayed polling at a few places in Central and South Chennai, including Royapettah and Triplicane, and some EVMs not functioning prompted DMK president M K Stalin to term the Election Commission “an alliance partner” of the party at the Centre. He was talking to reporters after voting at SIET College in Teynampet (South Chennai). At Milton School, Choolaimedu, 60-year-old J Philomina, who was one of the first to enter the booth around 8am, was stumped when the EVM did not work. “The officials were clueless,” she said.
Names missing from the list irked voters at T Nagar, Anna Nagar, Alwarpet and a few other areas, with some ‘fighting’ with poll officials. Many could not show online proof as they weren’t allowed to use mobile phones. R Rajan of T Nagar was among 10-odd people deprived of the chance to vote. “We did not get our booth slips and our names were missing from the rolls,” he said.
T Balasubramanian of Porur, who found himself in a similar situation, said, “My wife’s name was there but mine was missing. I have been voting in the same booth since 1992.” Officials said they were bound by the rules.
While some like Latha at Gnanodhya Girls High School in Chernnai North were irked by the long wait, many whose names were on the list could not vote. After employees of 484 private companies in Tamil Nadu, including IT firms in Chennai and Coimbatore, complained that they were forced to work, labour department rectified 473 complaints by asking the firms to shut immediately. “Notices will be issued to the remaining 11 companies through Election Commission of India,” a senior official said.
The state government had earlier issued orders stating that no commercial establishment should function on April 18 and should grant a day’s leave with pay to all employees. The labour department has set up a hotline — 044-24321438 — for employees to complain.
MAKING IT COUNT: Voters line up at a polling station in Saidapet
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