Team Herald

MAPUSA: Many voters across Bardez taluka reached their polling booths only with photo voter slips distributed to them through Booth Level Officers (BLO).

After standing in a queue, when they entered the polling station, voters were left disappointed as they were asked to bring their Elector’s Photo Identity Card, which had to be produced for their identification before casting their votes.

Those electors who were not able to produce the EPIC had to produce an alternative photo identity document from the list of the eleven other documents specified by the Election commission.

Larsen, a Mapusa resident, informed that after standing in queue for over an hour in the morning with his photo voter slip, he was told that it would not be accepted. He had to return home and come back later with his photo identity document to cast his vote.  

“Not just me but several others at Peddem, Mapusa who stood in the line for a long time had to go home and come back with our election cards. There should be some kind of awareness created on what documents need to be produced on the voting day,” Larsen said.

Another voter on condition of anonymity pointed out that on the photo voter slip they have mentioned something known as important information for voters and the map of the polling station.

“Nowhere on that slip have they mentioned that we have to carry along with us an election card to the polling booth or in case of absence of EPIC there is a list of the eleven other documents specified by the commission for voting. If this had been informed earlier, we would not be wasting our time making two trips to the polling stations,” she said.