Outstation voters seek e-ballot to get `inked'

LUCKNOW: He might just be able to cast his vote on February 19, provided he gets a train ticket to Lucknow. But there is little hope for 26-year-old Piyush Mishra, a central government employee in Delhi, who says, “All tickets are booked, as February 19 is a weekend. And one really can't rely on a tatkal ticket. Though it's my holiday I might have to miss casting my vote for the first time since I became eligible to vote.“
He adds that he would have definitely cast his vote had there been an option of e-voting or postal ballot.“Each vote makes a difference. I heard from my colleague about the postal ballot but, on enquiry , found that it's only for people on election duty and those in the services,“ he says.
Udita Chaturvedi's woes differ but she too will miss voting. She works in Noida where February 11 is polling day , and a holiday . “What will I do of a holiday if I can't even cast my vote. Lucknow goes to polls on February 19. Though it's a Sunday , I can't travel to and fro in a day ,“ a disappointed Udita says.
The story is no different for 36-year-old Prakash Tiwari, a private employee in Hyderabad. “Travelling to my district, Ghazipur, involves both time and money . No train tickets are available and buying air tickets for a family of four will be too expensive,“ Prakash says.
First-time voter Anant is equally dejected. “I so wanted to cast my vote. But the distance between Lucknow and Mumbai, where I study , is around 1,200 kilometres. And getting leaves sanctioned from college is also an issue,'' says Anant, adding that if Maharashtra can initiate the process of e-voting in their urban local body elections, Uttar Pradesh could have tried it on pilot basis in the assembly elections.
Aadarsh Mishra (20), a student at Cardiff University , UK, feels in a democracy like India, every vote matters, and there is a need to introduce a system which ensures that Indian citizens are not left out of the voting process. “A postal ballot or e-voting could play a significant role in not only helping citizens cast their vote but also enhancing the voter turnout,“ says Aadarsh.
He suggests that students can sign the ballot and submit it to the concerned Indian embassy . “The process also ensures transparency ,“ he says. A native of Kanpur, 28 year-old Deepanker Chandra is a senior manager in a private firm.Posted in Odisha's Jharsuguda district, he is left with no option but to give voting a skip. “There are no direct flights from here. For taking a flight from Bhubneshwar, I will have to take at least three days' leave from my office. I feel there should be some mechanism where outstation people can exercise their right to vote,'' he says.
Swati Chandra, a working professional based in Noida, hails from Varanasi.“Many people from eastern UP work in Delhi, Mumbai and other metros. Polls in Varanasi are on March 8, which is a weekday and close to Holi vacations, making it difficult for us to come and vote.“
Recently married in Mumbai, Arpita Kapoor's case is no different. “I am definitely missing the fun of elections and most importantly my precious vote,'' says Arpita.
In Tirupur with her husband, Gorakhpur native Swati Jashrapuria too will not be able to cast her vote.A homemaker, Swati says, “If people living outside the state could use postal ballots, it would have helped people like us who are willing to vote.'' Additional chief electoral officer Anil Garg says the solution to such problems is e-voting as the use of postal ballot for people other than those on election duty and services is not in election by-laws.