Photo by P Sreedharan
In a separate incident, a 77-year-old woman was allowed to cast her vote using a ballot paper after officials found that a vote had already been recorded in her name earlier in the day. Kamalathaal, 77, arrived at booth no.129 in the Panchayat Union Primary School in Kondarasanpalayam around 5pm to vote.
He said any decision on re-polling would be taken only by the Election Commission after the complaint was forwarded and guidance received. She was told that her vote had already been cast. After she came out and narrated the incident, DMK workers entered the booth and raised objections, leading to an argument and an inquiry on the spot. Voting was halted around 9am, and voters waited outside. Dharapuram RDO A Felix Raja arrived and held talks with the protesters, saying an inquiry would be conducted and CCTV footage reviewed. Officials found a thumb impression recorded against her name, with the vote marked as having been cast around 11am. A verification showed there was no other voter with the same name in that booth. Following this, DMK and AIADMK functionaries alleged malpractice and argued with election staffers. Kamalathaal was later issued a ballot paper and permitted to cast her vote.