Can I Still Vote if Someone Else has Casted Vote in my Name without my Voter ID card in Hyderabad?

Voting is a right of everyone and often you may come across stories of bogus voting and the legitimate voter not being allowed to cast his vote as someone else has already voted in his/her name and they are not allowed to vote using the EVM or Electronic Voting Machine. If you are one such person from Hyderabad or for that matter any other place in India, you still can vote, even if someone has voted using your voter ID card Hyderabad, or voter ID card of any other place you come from. The process is called Tender Ballot or Tender Vote and not many are aware of it.

How it works:

The Election Commission has provisions for every possible eventuality, and all you need to do is ask at the polling booth. If you come across a situation where the polling officer informs you that even though your name appears on the voter’s list, you cannot vote because someone else has voted in your name; in such a situation you can cast a tender vote. You can question the polling officer that why did not he/she check the fraudulent voter’s credentials and ID properly, but they may or may not respond with something that might satisfy you. Bring the situation to the notice of the Presiding Officer. Just make sure that you still have your voter ID card Hyderabad, or the place you belong to with you. The presiding officer will give you an option to still exercise your franchise by casting a tender vote.

As per the Rule 49P of Conduct of Election Rules, Tender Ballot Paper must be given to such person, whose vote has already been cast by someone else, provided he/she can prove his/her identity. In such a case, you will be given a tender ballot paper, which is same as the ordinary ballot paper. However, this ballot paper will have the words ‘Tender Ballot Paper’ either stamped by the Returning Officer or written in black by the Presiding Officer while issuing it. This ballot paper must be the last in serial number of all ballot papers available.

This ballot paper will have the list of candidates and you can cast your vote for the candidate of your choice, with the help of Arrow Mark Rubber Stamp which will be available at the polling booth. Once done you should hand over the tendered ballot paper to the Presiding Officer. He will then put this ballot in a separate envelope and make a record of it. You will not be allowed to cast your vote using the EVM, but you can still make you vote count and bring this wrong doing to the notice of the Election Commission this way. In this whole process you are entitled to complete privacy and you need not show anyone even the polling officer or presiding officer, whom have you voted. You can fold the ballot paper and hand it over to the officers and the officers will not open it.

The tendered votes may not be included in the final counting, but it will be taken note of by the Election Commission and they will take the necessary measures to stop such a practise in the constituency where this has happened. They will be more diligent with such situations and such a constituency will be marked as a one which needs additional measures to curb any future bogus voting.