Voters show enthusiasm to cast vote

Tirupati: The polling process for the general elections was held on Thursday in a peaceful manner barring a few incidents. The voters were seen reaching polling stations in groups with enthusiasm and zeal.

From the first hour of polling itself, festive atmosphere prevailed at almost all polling booths across the district and people patiently stood in long queue lines waiting for their turn to cast their votes.

Particularly, women were seen in large numbers at polling centres. When contacted, women voters at some polling stations said that it was their duty to come and vote to elect their leader for their future. "We have benefitted by one scheme or the other and it's our duty to reciprocate it by voting in the elections," they said.

The polling percentages have gone up gradually from hour to hour at all constituencies. Even the blazing sun did not stop the voters from going to the polling booths though the numbers have dipped.

A woman voter at Bairagipatteda polling station has said that, she reached the booth around 8 am and found long queue line there which forced her to return back to home. She reached again at the mid-day when the effect of scorching sun was so severe and voted successfully.

It was noteworthy that along with women aged people have queued at the polling centres. A TDP leader has referred to this as the response to 'Pasupu Kumkuma' and 'pensions to aged people' and forecasted huge success to their party.

Significantly, many youngsters, who have enrolled as voters for the first time exercised their franchise but did not forget to take selfies showing their point fingers which are marked with ink and have been posting them on social media. "We were thrilled to be a part of the democratic set up in the country for the first time and hope that we can make a difference in future," they said with joy.

However, the indifferent attitude of the urban people in exercising their franchise has continued this time also. Though the pilgrim city has witnessed serpentine queue lines in the morning, but the lines became thin as the passed away and by 4 pm it recorded only 54 per cent polling with polling left for only two hours. Similar situation was also seen at the district headquarters Chittoor.

Various awareness programmes to motivate voters went in vein in urban areas raising serious debates in future to change this trend. The officials were of the view that the percentages may well go up in the last two hours as they expect people may come out after Mercury levels dip in the evening.

Several people have resented the closing down of shops and other business establishments around 200 metres of every polling station which caused inconvenience to them. Shutters down for hundreds of shops around 286 polling stations in the city. Also, the much publicised "My Vote Q App" of Election Commission has failed to make any impact.

While most of the people have not used it nor aware of it, some said that it has not worked properly and they got the message 'No queue added yet' throughout the day. A few others said that it worked for some time and failed at other times.