Enthusiastic elderly voters beat EVM malfunctions in Burdwan
The Statesman | 30 April 2026
As voting machines failed repeatedly at several polling stations, centenarians and voters aged over 90 showed remarkable determination, turning out in large numbers to cast their ballots across East Burdwan during the second phase of polling on Tuesday.
East Burdwan recorded a turnout of 93.46 per cent — the highest in the state. The Ausgram Assembly constituency topped the district, registering 94.06 per cent polling.
At Booth No. 138 in Batrish Bigha under the Jamalpur constituency, 104-year-old Ibrahim Sheikh, who had voted in the country’s first general election and witnessed the construction of the Howrah Bridge in 1936, cast his vote. He had not been included in the Election Commission of India’s home voting facility, as his name remained under adjudication for weeks due to a “logical discrepancy”.
After voting, he said: “It was truly a moment of joy to be able to exercise my franchise today.”
Ninety-year-old Malati Rana from Katwa also expressed her happiness after casting her vote at Booth No. 134, accompanied by her grandson. East Burdwan has over 10,200 voters aged above 85 in the final electoral roll. However, she complained: “No one from the Election Commission visited me.”
District Magistrate of East Burdwan, Sweta Agarwal, said: “We arranged home voting over three days for elderly voters and persons with disabilities. However, those who were unavailable at home or whose documents did not match their declared age could not be covered, in accordance with guidelines.”
At Booth No. 24 in Pubar village under the Ausgram constituency, 76-year-old voter Mohammed Shahidullah Sheikh broke down after being denied the opportunity to vote, as his name was missing from the electoral roll. “I have been voting for over 50 years, and now I am told my name has been deleted,” he said. Around 20 voters at the booth faced similar issues.
Alongside the strong turnout of elderly voters, technical glitches in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) disrupted polling in several parts of the district. At least eight polling stations in Bardhaman (Dakshin), Bhatar, and Bardhaman (Uttar) constituencies reported interruptions. Booth No. 264 in Bhatar was among the worst affected, where voting was suspended multiple times despite repeated replacement of machines. An engineer from Electronics Corporation of India was called in to address the issue.