Seven-decades-old ballot box in Kayamkulam still tells the story of India’s early elections

Kayamkulam: What might ballot boxes in the early days be like? A thought in this direction might take one to the early days when technology was just taking baby steps. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and high-security ballot boxes were unheard of. However, the old ballot box was generally secure than mailboxes. Election slogans often revolved around this very box, and the real drama unfolded during the anxious moments when it was finally opened for counting. It is estimated that around 12 lakh such ballot boxes were used across the country during elections at one point in time.

Hakeem Maliyekkal of Kayakulam, who holds a place in the Limca Book of Records, has this box preserved in his antique collection as a reminder of India’s earliest elections and their enduring legacy. In this first-generation ballot box, once a symbol echoing political slogans and campaign rallies, history still lives on.

Hakeem’s collection includes two ballot boxes manufactured by the Alwin Company, an establishment under the erstwhile Hyderabad government. The inscription Alwin 1951 is clearly visible on the top of the box. The collection also features a special voting stamp once used to mark votes on ballot papers.

Despite having passed through many hands over the past seven decades, these boxes show almost no wear or damage. In the early days, votes were cast manually with voters marking their choice on a ballot paper using a stamp, folding the paper and dropping it into the box.

On the counting day, these boxes were opened and every single ballot paper had to be counted by hand, a cumbersome process that often delayed election results by several days. Hakeem says he plans to give the public and students an opportunity to view these rare ballot boxes.