Finally, after four trips, numerous arguments, quiet persuasion and lots of stubbornness, I got the Voter ID Card. Had to spend more than 15 hours for an activity which took less than 3 minutes.
Have enough material to write an entire book on the experiences in getting the Voter ID Card. I can now understand those who distance themselves from the system because things
don't work, don't seem to work as fast as they want them to. But then, that's the beauty of India. That things work and there is a certain way to get things done. If you know the right way, and more importantly, the right people, things will always happen. If anything, my experiences during this exercise, though very draining, have only further strengthened my faith in the system and though it will take time, I am hopeful that things will eventually change for the better.
Queue at the BBMP Office on a Sunday afternoon
Is there a queue equivalent of
tip of the iceberg? The previous photo was that!
Make hay while the sun shines. The tender coconut seller knew it better than anyone else!
Bad Timeing, definitely.
Searching counter.
Mera number kab aayega, literally!
I will write further on the experiences, but all I can say is that clearer and smoother communication would have made life easy for everyone involved. Nevertheless, I am happy that
the card is finally issued to me I got my card issued and very excited about voting for the first time.
"but all I can say is that clearer and smoother communication would have made life easy for everyone involved."
ReplyDeleteYou could have searched for your name in the Voters list(online) and also noted down the part number,ward number,ac number and all that of your residential address, and also the dates of Voters ID in your own polling centre. All you need is to download the required kannada font and not to mention you should be able to read kannada. Some constituencies have english voters list as well.
Thanks for the info. I tried all of this and only when it did not work did I have to go through what I went through.
ReplyDeleteThe problem was, that in spite of my application being valid(which I verified by going through all the application forms submitted on that day), my name was not entered in the list.
I had to first get my name entered in the list and then have the photo ID issued.
Communication, as I meant, is not just about dates and deadlines (different story though that they were not met up to). There was no clear information at the centers on which counters to go to for which purpose, concerned officials and when to check next if the deadlines were not met.
I will cover these and more in my post later.
I wonder only this year there is such a rush in the centers. That can only mean that not many people voted(and did not bother to check if its in the list) in assembly elections or they moved to another place right after assembly elections.
ReplyDeleteIs it the Tata Tea campaign?
P.S Google says center is correct not centre. Ironically this blog is about electing a govt at the centre. and have you noticed how our beloved english media has started using american words. It all started with 'sanctions' I guess.