Even as the deadline for registering names in the voters’ list drew to a close, hundreds of people rushed on Sunday to the helpdesks set up at Lalbagh and Kadri to enable them or their kin to vote in the upcoming legislative Assembly elections.
While 5 p.m. was the deadline for submitting copies to the helpdesk, online registrations were open till midnight.
Application forms for inclusion, deletion and correction of names on the voters’ list for people in the Mangalore City South Assembly constituency were received at the two helpdesks in Lalbagh and Kadri. Forms pertaining to Mangalore City North and Mangalore Assembly constituencies were received by anganwadi teachers, who would submit them to the local village accountants.
However, some who showed up at the helpdesks were left disappointed. The first time he had come to the help desk two day ago, Ganesh Kumar from Kapikad who wanted a voter’s ID card for his wife, was told to fill out a separate form. On Sunday, he was told that since he did not produce a photo, the form would not be accepted. “After waiting in the queue for an hour, they tell me this. I had asked them for all the documents to bring, but they had not mentioned the photo,” he said. Those who avoided the queue, took the online application route, and even in this, there were problems plenty. Kartika P. from Urva said efforts to upload 13 applications from family members were in vain even though the process started at 11 a.m. “We were not able to submit a single form even till 3.30 p.m. The website did not allow for documents or photos to be uploaded. Eventually, we had to go and personally submit forms at help desk,” she said.
Praveen, Assistant Revenue Officer at the MCC and in-charge of the desk, said by and large the procedure was without a hitch. “There were problems with the State Election website that slowed down the online application process,” he said.
Fact file
2,739 persons approach helpdesks at Lalbagh and Kadri
2,124 persons apply for inclusion of names
430 persons apply for deletion of names
171 for correction of particulars in the card
14 people for transposition of particulars in their voter’s ID card
