EVM glitches, shortage of poll slips and talk of ‘lakshmi darshan’ in Sillod

Lokmat News Network

Sillod:

Polling for the zilla parishad and panchayat samiti elections in Sillod on Saturday remained in the spotlight due to technical snags, administrative lapses and political manoeuvring, causing widespread inconvenience to voters.

EVMs malfunctioned at five polling stations, while in the Ajanta constituency, the non-availability of poll slips prevented several voters from casting their votes. At the same time, there was intense discussion across the tehsil that candidates arranged so-called ‘lakshmi darshan’ only for voters considered “guaranteed”, leaving others sidelined.

To curb the practice of voters accepting money from multiple candidates, contestants reportedly adopted a cautious approach this time. Only voters vouched for by party workers were allegedly given financial inducements before voting. This strategy left many voters who hoped to benefit from more than one candidate frustrated and confused.

Poll slip controversy in Ajanta

In Ajanta, allegations surfaced that poll slips were distributed selectively. It was claimed that slips reached barely 30 per cent of voters, while a large number of Hindu voters were left without them. As many voters were unaware of their polling stations, turnout remained low until afternoon. After party workers rushed to distribute poll slips door to door, voting gradually picked up.

EVM failures at five locations

Technical problems disrupted polling at several centres. During mock polls, EVMs malfunctioned at Ajanta, Undangaon and Dhanora, and were replaced within half an hour. Later, during actual voting between 10 am and 11 am, control units at polling centres in Palod and Hatti stopped functioning. The administration acted promptly, replaced the machines and restored the voting process.

Voter list discrepancies add to chaos

At the Ajnata centre, major discrepancies were found between the assembly and local body voter lists. Members of the same family were assigned to different polling centres or even different rooms, forcing voters to run from booth to booth. Frustrated by the confusion, several voters left without casting their votes.

Queues till late evening

Delays in the morning and repeated technical issues led to long queues even after official polling hours at centres in Ambhai, Andhari, Dongargaon, Bharadi and Bhavan. Voting at these locations continued until around 7 pm.

Overall, the polling exercise in Sillod was marked by operational shortcomings and political tactics, overshadowing what was meant to be a smooth democratic process.