Giriraj Goenka, a voter from Danilimda, was taken aback when election officials told him that he had to deposit his voter slip with them after voting
The Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017 had some tales of name of voters missing from the list, non-functional EVMs etc. But, an Amdavadi had a unique problem this time- custody of his voter slip.
The slip is issued by the election officials to voters and can be used as a proof of identity while voting. Giriraj Goenka, a voter from Danilimda, was taken aback when election officials told him that he had to deposit his voter slip with them after voting.
"I had never heard of it before. The voter's slip is like an identification document. I could not figure out why would the election officials want to keep it with them," said Goenka. He said when he went to his booth at the muster station in Danilimda to vote, the officials told him his voter slip will not be returned.
"When I asked, they said it was as per the instruction from the EC. I talked to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) who too said they cannot return the voter slip because they had been instructed to collect it," said Goenka.
He said he inquired as to what the election officials did if someone did not have a voter slip. "The officials said they let them vote after they showed any other valid identification like a driving licence or Aadhar card. I asked if they also confiscate these items, to which they said no," said Goenka.
He said he also wanted to talk to the observer but the officials did not give him the contact details. "I then called up the Gujarat Election Watch helpline.They too talked to someone," said Goenka who works as a sub-editor with the Majdoor Sandesh, a publication of the Majoor Mahajan Sangh.
Meanwhile, he said the officials promised to return him the slip in the evening. "I went there again at around 5.30 pm but they were very busy wrapping up. I also took with me a written complaint about the matter, which they did not accept. I told them that if my voter slip was not returned, I would pursue the matter further," said Goenka.
To his surprise, Goenka found his voter slip waiting for him at his home in Danilimda when he returned from a walk on voting day at around 6.30 pm. "The election officials returned the voting slip of my wife and me. Voting slip is a form of identification and I was afraid of it being misused. Moreover, I have collected the voting slips of all the elections, since voting slips were first introduced," claimed Goenka.
SIGNIFICANCE
- The slip is issued by the election officials to voters and can be used as a proof of identity while voting.
- In the slip’s absence, a voter is allowed to vote after they show any other valid identification document like a driving licence or an Aadhar card.
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 "Giriraj Goenka")
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