Marking a decade-low voting, the Lok Sabha elections concluded in Gujarat with 59.51% voter turnout on May 7.

Multiple complaints were flagged on the polling day in Gujarat regarding the secrecy of the vote and complaints related to polling agents.

“One complaint was related to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), while three were against the voters,” said the state chief electoral officer (CEO), P Bharthi.

A total of 92 complaints were received at CEO Gandhinagar on May 7. Total 11 complaints were related to electronic voting machines (EVM), law and order-related complaints (18), and other complaints.

A cross-verification took place at the webcasting centre after receiving the complaints.

As per National Grievance Service Portal (NGSP), a total of 5,581 complaints were received. 

Rule-breakers

A ‘pen’ with a BJP symbol on it sparked controversy at the polling booth and enraged Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Shaktisinh Gohil.

“How can a pen with a lotus symbol and a photo of a BJP leader be kept inside the booth? The Election Commission should take immediate notice and take strict action,” said the enraged leader.

On the other hand, Geni Thakor raised an incident where a few youngsters allegedly used fake plates of paramilitary forces and asked people to vote BJP outside a primary school in Palanpur.

Another shocking incident was reported where Hardik Zala, a BJP leader, filmed the entire voting procedure at the Gir Somnath polling booth and posted the video on social media, violating the ‘secrecy of vote’.

In the video that went viral on social media, he can be seen casting his ballot through the EVM and showing the party that he voted for.

According to reports, Zala has been booked under Section 128 of the Representation of People Act, 1950 after an FIR was lodged at the police station.

Polling day turns deadly

Amid the voting, a woman polling officer died  on duty after feeling uneasiness in Amreli’s Jafrabad. Preliminary reports revealed a heart attack as the reason for the death.

Gujarat sizzled amid the heatwave on the polling day. As Ahmedabad’s temperature soared to 43.3°C on May 7, a nodal officer and four voters were hospitalised in Ahmedabad due to the scorching heat.

According to reports received from emergency service ‘108’, a 52-year-old nodal officer in Ahmedabad’s Asarwa fainted and suffered from hypertension. He was later admitted to the Asarwa’s Civil Hospital.

Moreover, in Ahmedabad, a 54-year-old man fainted at Pankaj High School, Gulbai Tekra; a 25-year-old man fainted at Shakti School, Chandlodia; and a 30-year-old woman in Jashodanagar was admitted to the hospital due to blood pressure problems.

Moral policing?

In a peculiar incident, a ruckus was reported at a polling station set up in a society in the Satellite area of Ahmedabad. However, the chairperson of this society first allowed his acquaintances to vote. 

Moreover, when non-residents of the society arrived to vote, the policemen did not allow people wearing shorts or night dresses to vote. Some of the first-time voters who could not vote took the issue to social media.

EVM snags 

After a technical snag in electronic voting machines (EVMs) caused a delay in the voting process at polling booths in Navsari, incidents of EVM malfunctioning were also reported from Ahmedabad.

Over 40 EVM units malfunctioned after the voting began in the Ahmedabad East constituency. A total of 22 malfunctions regarding EVM, VVPAT (Voter verifiable paper audit trail), Ballot Unit (BU), and Control Unit (CU) were reported in Dahegam (1), Gandhinagar (3), Nikol (5), Naroda (7), Takkarbapa Nagar (4), and Bapunagar (2).

During the mock poll conducted before the actual voting, over 100 EVM units had to be replaced at various polling booths in the Ahmedabad east and west constituencies.

Unlucky voters in Vadodara

Despite having voter IDs, some voters in Raopura were deprived of voting rights due to missing names from the electoral rolls at the Adarsh School polling booth. 

A Congress leader lodged a written complaint to district authorities, citing a major lapse by the Election Commission in the area.

To make it even worse, the lapse by ECI prompted the same voters to travel 7-8 hours away, different from their earlier polling stations.

Also read:

Valsad, Bharuch shine bright as Gujarat register 59.51% voter turnout

55.22% turnout for Gujarat’s Lok Sabha polling: a number’s game