GVMC polls: smooth polling experience for senior citizens, first-time voters
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Arrangements made by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) enabled senior citizens, persons with disabilities and first-time voters to exercise their franchise in the urban local body elections, which passed off largely smoothly across the city on Sunday.
Most senior citizens said that the process was trouble free and that the staff guided them well. One of them, who did not wish to be named, said finding the right station was initially a problem after wards rose from 98 to 120, but the staff quickly helped.
Polling stations had drinking water, help desks, medicine counters, toilets, shamianas and ventilation, with ramps, handrails and chairs for senior citizens. Police personnel managed the crowds, and food was arranged for the staff.
At Yendada in Ward 11, around 300 voters turned up in the first hour after polling began at 7 a.m., said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) S. Srinivas and N. Nageswarao.
They added that residents of long-settled localities turned out in larger numbers than those living in apartment complexes. A similar pattern was seen later at other stations in the city. At Ward 3 in Bheemunipatnam, N. Narendra, BLO, said voting went on without hiccups, while Auxiliary Nurse Midwife N.V. Padma and ASHA worker G. Konda said they had all essential medicines, including oral rehydration salts (ORS) sachets, paracetamol and a blood pressure monitor.
Elisha Paul K, 21, a first-time voter pursuing an MBA at Andhra University, voted in Ward 31, Maharanipeta. He had expected a rush and lengthy queues, he said, but the process took less than 15 minutes, and the staff explained how a ballot is cast.
Patnala Papayyamma, 86, who makes it a point to vote in every election despite the hardship of travelling, her family said, voted in Ward 4 at the office of the Superintendent of Central Tax, Bheemunipatnam. Her family helped her onto a scooter allowed near the station.
At Chepala Thimmapuram in Ward 5, one of the exceptions, voting took time, with long queues continuing past noon. Jaya Kumar, 66, a senior citizen with ailments, found the ramp occupied by voters in the queue and a wheelchair lying unused beside the wall. The staff on duty told him to walk around the building and use the stairs at the other end.
District Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore asked officials to ensure voters faced no inconvenience and to report the polling trend every two hours, while GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg, noticing long queues at several stations, directed that ballot paper distribution be speeded up. Election Observer A. Bhargav Tej and Election Expenditure Observer P.V. Sandeep Reddy toured all 10 zones between them, and Mr. Sandeep Reddy expressed satisfaction over the smooth and peaceful polling.
Counting will be held on November 3.
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
