Bihar Polls / Many voters find their names in dead persons' list in Bihar polls

Patna: Voters in many constituencies in Patna had a tough time today in exercising their voting rights during the second phase of polling at 94 constituencies of the state Assembly elections. Importantly, many voters failed to cast their votes in absence of their voting slips.

Though many of them tried finding their names in the list of voters, some finally found it in the list of dead voters.

Many others had serious lapses in their voting slips. While some found their gender changed in the voting slip, others had their relations changed. Someone’s father was mentioned as her husband in the slip while many had their photos changed.

Shambhu Nath Jha, a voter from Kumhrar constituency, said it was surprising to see his mother’s name in the list of dead persons.

“My mother is alive and still very active. When I didn’t get her voting slip, I made enquiry about and was surprised to see her name in the list of the voters who are no longer alive,” Shambhu said.

“Interestingly, my neighbour’s father is no more but he has got his voter’s slip,” he added.

Yet another voter from Kumhrar, Kiran Devi, said she failed to exercise her voting rights for the first time. “I didn’t get the slip while all others in the family received their voters slip. It’s been surprising as I have been the daughter of this constituency and have been exercising my voting rights for over two decades,” she said.

Far more surprising was the situation for another voter from Kankarbangh of Kumhrar assembly constituency. Praveen Kumar said his gender was changed in the voter slip. “There’s a photo a woman on my slip,” he said. His wife’s slip bore a picture of a senior citizen, he added.

Rekha, a voter from Kadam Kuan under Bankipur constituency, said there was a blunder in her voter slip. “My late father has been mentioned as my husband in the slip,” she said.

Ramesh Shukla, a voter from Rajendra Nagar said various lapses have been noticed in the voting slips this time. “Many people failed to cast votes because of these problems. In fact, these things discourage voters and so many took efforts and turned up to the polling booth to find out names and found them declared as dead but many others did not bother,” he said.

Rituraj Kumar, BLO at a polling booth in Kumrahar constituency, said many voters have complained of various kinds of problems in voter slips. “Right now, we can’t do anything as the voters slips have been created by the Election Commission’s district office. Even then we are trying our best to help voters find their names in the list and support them in exercising their voting rights,” he said.