A voter list error has surfaced in Pune during the ongoing municipal corporation elections, where a male voter was surprised to see a female face ahead of his name in the official voters' list at the polling booth.
Ravindra Vasant Javkhedkar, a voter from Pune, said, “When I visited the polling booth, as a routine exercise to first mark the attendance on the voter list, it was shocking to reveal that an unknown female’s photograph was displayed after my name.”
“When I asked about the discrepancy, how can Ravindra be a female, the poll officials said that they are not responsible for it and have no idea how this has been displayed,” Javkhedkar added.
Javkhedkar was then inevitably forced to prove his identity. “I had to come back home again to take my Aadhar card, and after showing the same to the officials, they later confirmed my identity and allowed me to vote,” he added.
Total 165 corporators to be elected
Meanwhile, voting for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections is underway today. After a gap of nine years, the city residents have got the opportunity to cast their vote. A total of 165 corporators will be elected from 41 wards in the city. The election is witnessing a four-cornered contest.
The competition has intensified as the three parties in the ruling alliance are contesting separately. The BJP is facing a challenge from both Nationalist Congress Party factions, while the Shiv Sena, Congress, Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray group, and MNS are also in the fray. 1,153 Candidates in the Electoral Fray
A total of 1,153 candidates are in the electoral fray. The total number of voters in Pune city is 35,52,637. This includes 18,32,789 male voters, 17,13,360 female voters, and 488 other voters. A total of 4,011 polling stations have been set up in the city. Notably, two candidates have been elected unopposed.
Voter enthusiasm is evident in this election, but issues like EVMs and VVPATs have raised questions about the process. The Election Commission needs to address this urgently.
