Ludhiana MC polls: Names missing, could not vote, rue many first-timers

Several first-time voters expressed frustration, alleging that they were not able to vote despite having valid voter ID cards, because their names were not in the voter lists.

Voicing their disappointment, a 23-year-old first time voter, Ritika said, “I was thrilled about voting for the first time, but my excitement turned into disappointment when I found out my name wasn’t on the list. It is frustrating as I travelled a long way, eager to make my voice heard on the civic issues in my area, only to be denied the chance.”

Shreshtha Jain, 21,from ward no 10 highlighted her disappointment by saying, “I arrived at the polling station early with my family, only to be told my name wasn’t on the list. The officials asked me to return later in the afternoon, saying the list would be updated by then.”

“Despite having a voter Id card, I’ve never voted before as I’m not a political person. But this time, seeing my peers, I decided to finally use my democratic right. However, due to the authorities’ failure to update something as basic as voter list, I was refused the chance,”said Jaswinder Singh, a 32 year-old voter from ward no 23.

Similarly, residents of Anand Nagar, New Tagore Nagar, Rajesh Nagar and Shakti Vihar claimed that they had to face issues because their names were missing from the voting lists. Some people also alleged that despite visiting 3-4 polling stations over two hours, they were not able to locate their designated booths. Nitin Garg, a resident, shared his ordeal, “My family and I roamed from 11 am to 1 pm, going from one polling station to another, only to find our names missing everywhere. After two hours of this harassment, we decided not to vote.”

A booth-level officer stationed in ward no 23, who requested anonymity, confirmed the discrepancies by stating, “This is the first time I’ve seen such a widespread concern with the voter list. Over hundreds of voters have been turned away since morning because their names are missing.” He further said, “It is absurd that the authorities are using the outdated October 2023 list instead of the one updated during the Lok Sabha elections. This has significantly impacted voter turnout at my booth, especially since young voters usually remain more eager to vote in local elections.”

In Haibowal, confusion escalated at St Patrick Public Senior Secondary School, where four booths served Wards 67 and 68. A booth meant for Anand Nagar voters in Ward 67 was shifted from Government Elementary School to St Patrick School few days ago, after the residents’ request. But voters alleged that they were not informed about the change. Naresh Kumar, a local leader of Haibowal Kalan, explained, “The lists are incomplete and shuffled. The replacement of the returning officer (RO) and booth level officers (BLOs) worsened the situation, leaving voters and even new BLOs confused.”

Voters cast vote in Lok Sabha polls, denied in MC elections

Notably, there were many voters who voted in Lok Sabha polls held in June this year but they were allegedly unable to vote for civic body polls.

Suman, a 22-year-old voter from Bhamian Colony said,” This is mockery of democracy that I could elect my parliamentarian but not local councillor.”

Dhairya, a 21-year-old from Ward No. 23, echoed similar concerns. “I voted in the Lok Sabha elections, but now officials are saying my name isn’t on the list. It’s frustrating that my details haven’t been updated,” he said.

Additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Amarjeet Bains addressed the confusion surrounding the voter list during the MC elections. He explained that the initial draft of the voter list was compiled in September 2023, followed by the publication of first and second supplementary lists in November to include new voters and correct existing information. “These lists were made available on the NIC (National Informatics Centre) and MCL (municipal corporation, Ludhiana) websites. However, residents did not come forward to check or update their information at the time, leading to last-minute inconveniences on election day,” Bains said.

On the reported discrepancies in the voter list, the ADC added, “I did not received any formal complaints yet.”