The Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday admitted that around 33 voting machines (Electronic Voting Machines and Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail units) developed glitches while the electoral process was on, on Tuesday. But that’s not the only factor that drew people’s ire. The electoral body faced flak on a few other aspects like failing to meet the requirement of lemonade and thirst quenchers which it promised, and not even providing water. And there were other niggling issues that also put the election machinery in the spotlight.
The SEC, undoubtedly showed a lot of promise this time by creating awareness and bringing novelty to the electoral exercise — from pink booths, green booths, booths for disabled-friendly, ready medical aid to senior citizens and a unique idea of providing lemonade to voters affected by the summer heat. The SEC must be commended for raising awareness about the “right to vote” through innovative concepts like para-gliders roving in the sky around popular destinations, distributing pamphlets, advertising and using social media to educate about the fundamental right to vote.
However, much against the feeling that the SEC has this election well covered, the EVMs and VVPATs against which there is still a huge distrust with various sections of people even moving the court, continued to play spoilsport. VVPATs were reported faulty on various counts, with some constituencies even reporting the machine going blank. Some units needed a charge. Although the poll officials acted on those errors, there were massive delays that added to the inconvenience of the voters who were queuing up in the summer heat.
The CEO may argue that eventually the machines were restored and transparency maintained, but the very question of faulty EVMs, 42 years after they were first introduced in Kerala in 1982, is baffling, especially when the country is keeping pace with technology. All the goodwill the election body sought to create ahead of the elections means nothing if voters are exposed to such uncertainties. Imagine queuing up for over two hours in sweltering heat only to find that the EVM has developed a technical glitch and needs a reset that would take around 45 minutes.
While political parties complaining of breaches near poll booths is a common phenomenon, a few cases where the indelible voter ink on the finger got washed off with individual circulating photos of the ink wearing off leaves another blot, although such cases were brushed aside as fake.
These again may be stray instances, but does not bode well in an electoral exercise that is fraught with doubts and uncertainties where every aspect comes under the scanner and becomes a questionable subject. Let’s not forget, that an individual trying to click a photograph while voting in the Fatorda constituency stoked controversy with a complaint being lodged.
The lemonade experience proved to be another disaster. The EC initially earned the goodwill of citizens because it decided to provide thirst quenchers at polling booths given the hot and humid weather conditions. And yes they did provide packaged lemonade of various brands in booths across the State, but that came in the form of a trickle and thousands of voters who were braving the heat and standing for hours in queue were left high and dry. In some booths, the promised soft drinks never arrived. In some places there were provisions of water coolers, but no refills.
The biggest takeaway, amid all the political din, the unfavourable climate and the shortcomings of the Election Commission, has been the calmness and peace with which Goans have seamlessly gone about the exercise. There was no untoward incident of violence reported. Given the fierceness and rivalries in electoral campaigns that spread across the boundaries of religion and the issues that sparked controversies, Goa stood tall as a State of peace and harmony.
