Big day over, voter list is still full of bloomers

Polling officers at Bethany High School in Koramangala were waiting to see their 113-year-old voter, but when the person finally walked in, he was in his early 20s.
“It was a mistake. He was allowed to vote. He himself laughed at the error,” said Gundappa Shastry, retired income tax commissioner, and a polling agent of a party.
This story is many elections old: a poll list plagued by discrepancies in name, age, gender and address, where the living are proclaimed dead, and the dead resurrected… Citizens didn’t find the going smooth in many areas — they came to the booths to get their mark, and found their names missing from the list.
Apar Sharma’s case brims with irony. He spent months campaigning for voter awareness, how to find names on the electoral list and what to do if a person doesn’t receive an Epic card. But Sharma couldn’t find his own name on the list. “I applied long ago and chased my enrolment. I was hopeful the final list would have my name. But it’s no go,” he rued. When the TOI team left, Apar was sitting in the booth in Kasturinagar, trying to help others find their names.
Nilotpal Samanta, a financial analyst from Lottegollahalli, registered before March 16 but on Thursday found his name missing from the list. “Officials assured me I would make it. I wanted to cast my first vote in Bangalore. I tried checking the CEO website, but it kept crashing,” he said.
Old-time voters also found their names wiped off the poll list — like Susheela K Jain, 46, a resident of BP Wadia Road in Basavanagudi , Bangalore South. She had voted in the 2013 assembly poll, but when she entered the booth with husband Kundan Jain, their names were missing. “We haven’t shifted home or applied for cancellation. I checked with BBMP officials and there was no response. The EC website wasn’t properly functioning either. Is this IT city?” asked an upset Kundan.
At least 10 old-time voters had to return without voting at Gulabi Primary and High School, Jayamahal. Reshma Banu, 24, carried her EPIC to the polling booth in Yarab Nagar, but found her name deleted from the list. “How can I be denied my voting rights?” she asked the officials, who had no answers.
SK Garden 3rd Cross has 210 houses. Around 30 voters here have dropped off the electoral list. “We are alive and are Indian citizens with EPIC cards. How can our names be deleted?” asked Mohd Chowdhury Idris, president of Russell Market Merchants’ Association, and a polling agent.
Mehabub Khan, 71, a retired KSRTC official, had applied for voter ID on March 13. He brought the acknowledgment given by BBMP to the booth in Banashankari, but returned disappointed. As did Prasudh Adiga’s dad. Prasudh, an engineering student and first-time voter, was disappointed his dad couldn’t accompany him. “He registered online but his name was missing,” he said.