the goan I network
MARGAO
Who is responsible for taking away the constitutional right to vote of this nun, who had to leave for Dharwad on Tuesday without casting her vote because of a defunct electronic voting machine (EVM)?
While South Goa Returning Officer, Ajit Roy, said the defunct EVM has been replaced and promised to extend the voting time to make good the loss of an hour and half, questions were asked by the voters at the Culwado booth of Cuncolim segment whether Roy or the CEO’s office will at all be able to restore the nun’s voting right.
Two nuns had descended on the Culwado-Cuncolim polling booth before polling could start at 7 am since one of them had booked a train ticket to head to Dharwad. To her shock and surprise, the nun could not cast her vote as the EVM was found defunct. As the election authorities took a long time to replace the EVM, the nun was left with no option than to head to Dharwad by train without exercising her constitutional right to vote.
Another nun who was present outside the booth sought to know the purpose behind calling people for voting when the EVMs are not working forcing voters to leave without casting their votes.
Returning Officer Roy who made his presence felt at the polling both sought to downplay the defunct EVM by saying the EVM stands replaced and that people will be given extra time for voting, but it’s clear who’s responsible for denying the right to vote for people for no fault of theirs as a patient was also kept waiting outside the booth despite the fact that he had to go for his routine dialysis.
