Shoranur: As polls round the corner, 62-year-old Usha a resident of Guruvayoorappan Nagar here is worried about the denial of her voting rights for third time. The predicament arises from the indelible ink mark from the 2016 Assembly election still visible on her finger. Due to this, Usha hesitates to participate in voting again.
The ink applied during the 2016 voting at the Kulapulli AUP School has not faded away even after 9 years. When she attempted to vote in subsequent local elections, election officials raised objections to her participation. Despite her explanations, they remained unconvinced. She was later permitted to cast her ballot as political party agents backed her.
Despite her efforts using soaps and solvents to remove the ink mark, it persisted. Consequently, she refrained from voting in both the Lok Sabha election in 2019 and the Assembly polls in 2021, fearing potential disputes at the polling station.
Usha disclosed her ordeal on Wednesday to DCC general secretary T Y Shihabuddin who visited her during the election campaign. Upon reporting the matter to the department in charge of elections, they promised to investigate the issue.
Officials said that there has been no such incident of the election ink remaining unfaded for such a prolonged duration. Dermatologists have corroborated this claim. Nonetheless, doctors said that some individuals might have a persistent black mark beneath their nails. A detailed medical examination should be carried out to ascertain the cause, they said.