Polling was delayed by almost an hour in both booths at Chinnadagudi Hundi village during the byelection to Nanjangud constituency on Sunday. In one booth the control unit of the EVM encountered a technical problem and a VVPAT machine failed to print slips on voting confirmation at another booth. The unit was fixed. The VVPAT machine had to be replaced.
Several EVMs and VVPAT units in Nanjangud had to be replaced during the mock poll and the actual polling owing to technical issues. Two ballot units were replaced during the mock polling. Likewise, four control units were replaced during the mock polling. A total of 13 VVPAT units were replaced in mock polling and two during actual polling.
‘Unfulfilled wish’
A couple in Madrahalli village in Gundlupet had a wish – to vote together. They were not aware that this was prohibited. The couple tried to argue with the polling officers. A firm ‘no’ from the officers resulted in the couple voting individually.
Much-needed break
Th byelection in Nanjangud gave construction workers from Chinnadagudi Hundi and Badanavalu a break from their work. Almost half of the population of men in Chinnadagudi Hundi works in the construction industry in Mysuru. The agrarian crisis and uncertain farm income has driven them to obtain jobs in the sector.
No missing names
The byelections were free from the usual complaints of missing names in the voters’ list. Also, a majority of voters carried their Aadhaar cards instead of EPIC cards that were one of the identity proofs for voting. This avoided confusion, paving the way for smooth voting across the two constituencies.
