The promise by Election Commission (EC) to distribute voters’ slips to the electorate before the eve of poll day has not been fulfilled as more than 50 per cent of the voters had not received them till Saturday evening.
The EC, to pre-empt political parties from continuing their campaigning at the booth-level through voters’ slips, had decided to take up the task on its own. Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha had promised to get the slips delivered at the doorsteps of the voters before the election. The Hindu did a random check on Saturday evening and found that most respondents had not received the slips. Some said they did not receive the slips at all and others said they had slips delivered by party workers.
N.R. Shashidhar, a resident of Srinidhi Layout in Konanakunte under Bangalore South Assembly constituency, said he did not get the slip.
M. Ramamurthy, a resident of Vinayaka Layout on Ullalu Main Road in Yeshwantpur Assembly constituency, said: “It is practically impossible for the EC to get the slips delivered at the doorstep. I saw some slips in the hands of a political party worker who came to my house soliciting votes on Friday.”
K.P. Atmaram, a software engineer and resident of an apartment complex in HSR Layout under Bommanahalli Assembly constituency said he too did not receive the slip. However, he plans to vote along with wife Akshatha Rao after locating the polling booth online.
K. Sridharamurthy, a chartered accountant from Chickpet Assembly constituency said the EC should not have tried the impossible.
“Parties should have been allowed to distribute the slips. In any case, the slips cannot be taken into the booths,” he said.
Others as well
Uma S. Hande, home-based entrepreneur from K.R. Puram segment, Vinod Kumar from Padmanabhanagar constituency and G.M. Venkatesh in Bangalore South told The Hindu they had not received slips and were unsure whether their names were on the voters’ list. However, hotelier Sriram Adiga of Padmanabhanagar Assembly constituency said he had received one.
