Two ladies denied the opportunity to vote due to mistaken identification

In Cuddalore, two people were prevented from exercising their right to vote because officials marked out the incorrect names of two ladies rather than the pair who cast their ballots.

At the polling place in Kadampuliyur, close to Panruti, K Senthamizhselvi (39), ran into trouble when poll workers wrote her name on a ballot that belonged to another lady from the same village and name. “I’ve been waiting here for about an hour because of the authorities’ and staff’s carelessness. I haven’t heard yet whether I will get the opportunity to cast a ballot,” Senthamizhselvi told TNIE. Only when the other lady who had cast a ballot in her name was summoned for documentation verification was she permitted to use her privilege.

Shanthi Palanivel, the Kondur panchayat’s deputy president, also encountered a similar circumstance. After her right to vote was first denied, Shanthi and her supporters staged a protest at the polling place’s entrance. She was told by police stationed to ensure poll worker protection, and election authorities reassured her that votes would be tendered. She went to vote despite the injustice.

Political animosity resulted in my name being deliberately designated for someone else. When I asked the authorities who had cast my ballot, I didn’t get a satisfactory answer,” Shanthi added.