First time voters steal thunder in Andhra Pradesh elections

HYDERABAD: Polling on Wednesday witnessed a sizeable turnout of first-time voters aged between 18 and 25. Senior citizens also turned out in large numbers. They came with the aid of walkers and sticks and some were even carried by their relatives to the polling booths.

The polling booth at Saket, Kapra Lake, meanwhile, had only senior citizens waiting in the queue, making the polling officers wonder about the presence of youth in the area. Young voters standing in queues at other polling booths looked excited and said they were happy to be part of the democratic process.

While a few were confused and admitted that they had not done too much research, few others said that they had selected parties which are capable of achieving all round development in the city and in the T-region.

Meanwhile, despite a huge social media buzz on the NOTA option, very few apparently opted for it. “NOTA is a misnomer actually. I believe voting for NOTA is a waste of time and effort. If the majority votes for NOTA, the election will get cancelled and a re-election will be done,” said Arun Kumar, a software professional who voted in Kondapur area.

Bulk messages and incorrect interpretation of advertisements prompted several people to turn up to vote despite their names not being on the list. Several youngsters said they that were told they could fill a form available at the polling station and cast their votes by proving their identity. However, they were turned back from the polling stations.

Allotment of different polling booths for members in the same family also troubled voters. Several such instances came to light in various constituencies. While parents got one booth, their children got other.

Youngsters blamed election officials for not supplying correct information and for the problems in the electoral list. Many even claimed to have received bulk messages stating, “voting is your right and nobody can stop you from voting under any circumstances”.

B. Sai Pratyusha, a first-time voter in Jubilee Hills constituency, said, “We were told that we can bring our Aadhaar cards and cast our votes. But now they are saying that it is not possible. My father and I had applied for voter cards at the same time; he got his but I didn’t.”

“How can they say that I can’t vote now? It was on television that we can take our Aadhaar cards and vote after filling up the Form 7 at the polling station,” another young woman said. However, Form 7 is only for objection to inclusion of a name in the electoral rolls.