Kerela polls: Row in Thrissur after woman denied nod to vote over bandage on index finger

THRISSUR: A woman from Koorkenchery in Thrissur was refused permission to vote as her left index finger had a bandage on it. The voter Akshaya, who had come to vote with her father and two-year-old child at Koorkenchery Bodhananda School, said that they were made to wait for about six hours as the presiding officer refused to relent even after the intervention of top election commission officials. The presiding officer said that it was her discretion to allow a person to vote or not and insisted that the voter ink can be applied only on the left index finger. She added that Akshaya can vote only if she removes the bandage and demonstrates that she had not voted elsewhere and the ink has not been applied on the finger. The presiding officer said she has taken the decision as per the rules and it can be changed only when she receives a written instruction from higher authorities. However, Akshaya tried to explain to the presiding officer that her finger was bandaged following a surgery on it after she injured herself in a mixer grinder at home. Subsequently, Akshaya produced medical records, which her father had to fetch from home. However, the presiding officer remained adamant even after the medical officer present at the polling station endorsed Akshaya's statements. Meanwhile, LDF workers, led by the former minister V S Sunil Kumar, staged a protest at the booth. The protesters insisted that they will not disperse till Akshaya was given sanction to cast her vote. They also demanded that strict action be taken against the presiding officer for denying the right of a genuine voter to exercise her franchise. ADM R Manoj visited the booth as per the instruction of the collector Sikha Surendran to verify the situation. Finally, the presiding officer permitted Akshaya to vote after directions were issued from the chief electoral officer's (CEO) office. The instruction from the CEO office said, "The voter may be allowed to vote, subject to the presiding officer verifying that the person is a registered eligible voter." Akshaya submitted a written declaration saying that she had not cast her vote elsewhere, as per the directive from the CEO office. Meanwhile, her child and father had to wait without any food for about five hours.