Bogus voting in Palakkad: 8 cases reported; even a first-time vote stolen, saved by 'tender vote'

Palakkad (Kerala): Complaints of bogus voting have emerged from eight locations across the Malampuzha, Shoranur, Tarur, Kongad and Ottapalam constituencies in the district. Several voters discovered that their votes had already been cast by impostors when they arrived at their respective polling stations. Following official intervention, the affected individuals were permitted to cast 'tender votes'.

The first incident was reported at Polling Booth No. 60 in the Malampuzha constituency. Around 11 am on Thursday, 69-year-old Vijayan (Serial No. 915) arrived at the Puduppariyaram MMUP School to find his vote already recorded. After BJP agents and candidate C Krishnakumar intervened, election officials verified the claim and allowed Vijayan to cast a tendered vote.

In Shoranur, a first-time voter named B Nikhil (Serial No. 392) found his maiden vote stolen by an impostor at Booth No. 169, Paruthipra BMSLP School. Nikhil’s father stated they would be filing a formal complaint with the Election Commission after Nikhil was forced to use a tendered vote.

In the Tarur constituency, a similar incident occurred at Booth No. 18 in Paruthipully ALP School involving voter K L Baby. The Sector Officer arrived at the scene to resolve the dispute and sanctioned a tendered vote.

In Kongad, Prabhavathi from Kunduvampadam reached Booth No. 94 at Parassery PBUP School only to find her vote already cast. BJP candidate Renu Suresh visited the booth and coordinated with the Returning Officer (RO) to ensure Prabhavathi was granted the opportunity to cast a tendered vote.

Four cases in Ottapalam

The Ottapalam constituency recorded the highest number of grievances, with four instances of fraudulent voting:

• At Booths 168 and 169 in Meetna Senior Basic School, the votes of Sulochana and Unnikrishnan were found to have been cast by others.
• At Booth 163 in East Ottapalam Padinjarkara LP School, a resident named Mustafa discovered his vote had been stolen.
• At Booth 98 in Ambalappara ALP School, Prabhakaran faced the same issue.

In all four instances, the presiding officers permitted the legitimate voters to record their choices through tendered ballot papers.

What is a 'tender vote'?

Under Section 49P of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, a legitimate voter who discovers that an impostor has already cast a ballot in their name retains the right to record their choice. By providing satisfactory proof of identity to the presiding officer, the individual is issued a 'tendered ballot paper' rather than using the electronic voting machine. These physical ballots are collected, sealed and kept in secure custody. While they are not typically included in the initial count, tendered votes become decisive factors during the tallying process if the margin of victory between the leading candidates is exceptionally narrow.