Nashik Senior Citizens Face Voting Confusion During Municipal Polls
Senior citizens in Nashik experienced significant confusion during Thursday's municipal elections. Many elderly voters received instructions from family members and political supporters to vote for one candidate on each of four electronic voting machines. However, when they arrived at polling stations, they found only two or three EVMs available.
Elderly Voters Question Multiple Voting Requirements
The situation created considerable bewilderment among older voters. Many questioned why they needed to vote for three or four different candidates when they typically elect just one corporator for their ward. Some frustrated voters considered leaving the voting process incomplete, but election officials guided them through the entire procedure.
"In my ward, I know that only one person gets elected as a corporator," explained 79-year-old Ramesh Kakad from the Nashik Road area. "If we have any issues, we raise them with him or her. So I should be voting for one person only. Why three?" Kakad recalled voting in assembly and Lok Sabha elections where he cast only one vote each time.
Conflicting Information Creates Voter Uncertainty
Confusion extended to the actual number of voting machines at polling stations. Shankar Patil, a 75-year-old resident of Kamatwada, shared his experience. "I was told by my son-in-law that there would be four EVMs — one for each ward," Patil said. "When I went to the booth, I found only two EVMs. I was unable to decide what to do and even thought of voting for one person and then leaving the other process."
Polling officials addressed this confusion by using visual aids. The presiding officer at one station explained their approach. "We pasted two specimen ballot papers on an image of an EVM, with names segregated in four different colours representing four different sections of the ward," the officer stated. "That is how we helped the elderly and confused voters understand the process."
Additional Voting Challenges Emerge
The election day presented further complications beyond EVM confusion. Several voters discovered their names missing from electoral rolls or transferred to different wards without notification. Some families found themselves divided across multiple polling stations and wards.
Samarnath Banerjee, a 68-year-old resident of Mahatmanagar, could not locate his name at three polling stations where he and his wife had previously voted. "After I was exhausted, I was directed to find the name in the mobile application," Banerjee recounted. "Surprisingly, my name was found in the list at Shivaji Chowk, Old Cidco. So we travelled to that location and finally cast our votes." He expressed hope that the municipal corporation would reduce such inconveniences in future elections.
Families Divided Across Polling Stations
A particularly striking case emerged from the Gangapur Road area, where one family found its members scattered across different voting locations. Sameer Pawar, a businessman from the family, described their situation. "We are four voters in the family, and were assigned to three different polling stations in two separate wards," Pawar explained. "My son and I were in the same ward, but at two different polling stations. My wife and my daughter were included in the neighbouring ward, but they were at a common booth. Wonder what technique they used to make these lists?"
The municipal elections in Nashik revealed several procedural challenges that particularly affected senior citizens and families. While election officials worked to assist confused voters, the experiences highlighted areas where voting processes could be improved for greater clarity and convenience.
