M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, May 19: The voting for the second phase of the Jharkhand Panchayat election is underway in Palamu on Thursday. A tremendous swell for voting was reported as a serpentine queue was seen at the start of the polling today at 7 in the morning.
Sub-divisional magistrate Rajesh Kumar Sah, who is detouring booths falling in his subdivision, informed that at the Basna booth, three family members held a fragile woman in their hands to enable her to cast vote. He added that such voters are the beauty of democracy and its institution of the election.
He further said that he was also told of a bizarre case of voting at the Saguna booth.
Two women voters, a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law reached the polling booth. They waited for their turn to vote. The mother-in-law cast her vote properly as she knew how to vote and use the ink pad for stamping.
However, her educated daughter in law made a goof up. She used her thumb to cast her vote. She went on thumping her preference on the ballot papers thus, rendering her all 4 votes invalid.
“We have been telling people to cast their votes properly but such mistakes do occur,” said the SDO Sadar. He agreed the contesting candidates ought to have refreshed their electorates about how to cast vote.
The first phase of polling in Palamu had ended with little over 63 percent voter turnout. All eyes are now on the voting percentage of the second phase of polling today, details of which can be expected around 6 in the evening.
Sub divisional police officer (SDPO) Surjit Kumar is also out, taking stock of the security arrangements available at the booths. According to sources, he uses the local dialect to interact with the people and that gives him plenty of scope to know the things in and around him, especially for the maintenance of law and order.
Along with the SDO Sadar and SDPO, Palamu SP Chandan Kumar Sinha is also out visiting booths in the second phase of polling.
Rejection of polled votes in 1st phase higher in Hussainabad: Palamu DC
The number of invalid or rejected votes was pretty high in Hussainabad in the first phase of polling held on May 14.
Counting of votes of the first phase, which began on May 17, ended on May 18 when the administration was almost panting to roll out 848 polling parties for 70 panchayats for the conduct of polling on May 19.
Palamu district election officer cum DC Shashi Ranjan said, “We have noticed higher rejection of polled votes in Hussainabad in the first phase of polling.”
“We understand that since voters are used to voting on the electronic machine, the sight of ballot papers and ballot boxes just confuse them,” he added.
Administrative sources said the returning officers engaged in the first phase of polling have given data of the votes rejected or invalid and now it is being compiled so the exact number of votes gone waste is not yet available.
DC Shashi Ranjan added a voter is to cast 4 votes for 4 categories in the panchayat elections so he/she may find this cumbersome.
According to the DC, efforts were made to caution voters not to indulge in such a faux pas.
“We believe there should be a lesser number of rejection of votes in this second phase polling, counting of which is on May 22,” he said.
