[ Indu Chukhu ]
YUPIA, 11 Apr: Thousands of people turned up for postal voting for the eastern and western parliamentary and assembly seats at the Golden Jubilee outdoor stadium here in Papum Pare district on Thursday.
A long queue of voters, both men and women, could be seen on the ground floor, standing to cast their votes, amidst suffocating conditions.
Interacting with this reporter, a policeman informed that he has to join election duty in the district on Friday. The policeman, who was not happy with the voting arrangements, said that “the authority concerned should first allow all those who have to report to their respective districts for duties to vote first.”
A PWD junior engineer said, “I am in the queue since morning, and the voting, which was supposed to start by 9 am, got delayed and started by 11 am as the stamps were not available at that time.”
“I am diabetic, and till now I haven’t taken my lunch. Standing in this suffocated room with low oxygen is making me more miserable,” he bemoaned.
Marbom Riram, a government employee who was also standing in the long line, expressed frustration over the overall management of the postal voting system.
He said, “There should be segregation of voters district-wise, so that the queues are manageable.
“In the morning, at least 100 voters entered by a different route. Had there been proper arrangements, this could have been avoided,” said Riram.
The stadium can host 10,000 people. This reporter observed that the queue could have been better arranged, so that the voters could enter by the stadium area and exit by the main entrance.
An official for the Sagalee polling station also opined that “the voters should have entered from the stadium area, which is very spacious and has seating arrangements too.”
It was difficult for this reporter to remain for more than five minutes inside the polling station, which has a limited space and is without ventilation or any windows.
There being no ceiling fan inside, a few of the male voters took off their shirts in order to be able to bear the heat. They said that they were not even provided with refreshments.
An IRBn jawan, Tar Tasa, had to leave for his home in Kolma in Doimukh after standing in the queue for about five-and-a-half hours.
“I had left early from my home, thinking that I would be returning back early as I have some preplanned engagements at my home. However, I have to leave in the middle because it will take till evening for me to reach the polling booth,” he said.
The final day of the postal voting is 14 April.
