My first vote

Feeling really great to have exercised my right to vote for the first time in my mother land – India, yesterday. There was an unexplainable sense of pride and responsibility in casting my vote and I enjoyed the moment as anyother important occasion.

The temperature was soaring (42 degree Celsius) in Chennai yesterday and if there was one thing that I dreaded about my voting, it was the long queue that I anticipated at the polling booth. It turned out to be an anti-climax in the end as it was the polling officers who were waiting to see someone turn up to get some work. Very peaceful and easy as it ended.

One interesting observation – There were 3 EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) kept side by side as there were too many contestants for our constituency. Though the voting machines were confined to a corner of the room with Cardboard sheets raised around them to make way for secrecy, it was quite possible for the polling officer sitting a few feet away to easily predict the voter’s choice. He could actually give a good exit poll result with a high level of probability. Here is how – Firstly, it would be easy for him to know which among the EVM was accessed (left, right or center) by the direction of our hand  while voting. Secondly, given the direction (the EVM that is), it is easy to guess the choice made, by the position of the hand (ie. towards the card board enclosure or farther away). I am not saying that he can exactly say whom we voted for but atleast he can say that I voted for someone in the top, middle or bottom section.

Overall, I am happy to have exercised to my voting rights (to say that I am an Indian).