Instances of voter names being deleted from the electoral rolls have surfaced, caused frustration among citizens during election on Friday. Rajendra Babu and his wife, residents of Shankarapuram, arrived at the National College polling station in Basavanagudi to cast their votes, only to discover that the wife’s name was missing from the list. This issue is not isolated to their case alone but has affected numerous voters across Bengaluru City.
At polling stations like National College, Basavanagudi, many voters arrived with their Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) but were disappointed to find their names deleted from the voter list. Sowbhagya, a long-time voter, expressed dismay at her sudden exclusion, stating she had been voting at the same polling station for the past three decades.
Trishaladevi, another resident of Shankarapuram, echoed similar sentiments, questioning the deletion of registered voter ID names without explanation. The frustration was palpable among citizens like Sudhir Mehta, who made the effort to vote but found their names missing upon arrival.
Voters discovered their names marked as already voted, despite not having cast their ballots. Sanjay M Jain recounted his experience of encountering such irregularities and lamented the lack of response from authorities upon raising the issue.
Trade activist Sajjan Raj Mehta highlighted the widespread nature of this problem, particularly in areas like Chickpet under the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha Constituency. He called for accountability and urged authorities to address the issue promptly.
A senior official from the Chief Electoral Office in Karnataka echoed the importance of voters checking their names on the list beforehand. While acknowledging the publicity efforts to raise awareness, he urged citizens not to deflect blame at the last minute.
