Mangalore: Bid to prevent Keralite women voters from polling, foiled in Bendoor booth

mangaloretoday.com/

Mangalore: May 5: More than 25 students from Athena Nursing College was prevented from voting by the Polling Booth staff blaming that they are Keralites at the St Sebastian Polling Booth today, May 5. Police had to intervene to control the commotion between the students and polling officials.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole episode was unnecessary and unwanted as the students had valid voters IDs and their names were listed the Voters List. To make it worst, Political party representative joined the dispute and the commotion lasted for half an hour till the police arrived.

It all started when a Nursing student approached the polling booth staff to cast her vote, one of the staff pulled her voter ID and said, "You cannot vote here. You are from Kerala”.  When the polling booth officer did not allow the student to cast the vote, the volunteers called the police from Kadri station. Kadri police sub-inspector Bajantri arrived the spot and spoke to the polling booth officer and allowed the students to vote.

The Nursing students said that "we are here from past four and half years and we have our voter ID. We have voted in the Civic body elections and this time the polling booth staff snatched my voter ID and refused me from casting my vote". “As a citizen I have every right to voter ID issued in Mangalore” she added.

The district administration organized ’SVEEP’, in a huge way and said that all the citizens should come out on May 5 and cast their vote, because voting is the right of every citizen, but the booth officers forgetting their duty are trying to snatch the rights of the voters. The polling Booth officials should be properly trained before they are assigned the polling duty said a citizen who witnessed the scene.