High turnout, but ballot shortage allegations cast shadow over DBA polls The District Bar Association (DBA) elections in Nagpur on Friday saw a high voter turnout, but concerns over mismanagement, including a reported shortage of ballot papers, raised questions about the electoral process. With 84% of eligible voters casting their ballots for 17 positions, the participation rate marked a slight increase from the previous election’s 82.31%. Out of a total electorate of 3,390 lawyers, 2,848 exercised their right to vote in a largely peaceful process that spanned from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The election covered key roles such as president, secretary, two vice-presidents, two joint secretaries (one reserved for women), a librarian, a treasurer, and nine executive committee members, comprising six men and three women. Despite the high turnout, allegations of logistical shortcomings emerged. Lawyers claimed the poll panel had printed only around 2,800 ballot papers, far below the number of voters. “Midway, there was chaos for some time. The poll panel then hurriedly printed additional papers that saved the day. However, the papers were like pamphlets and lacked serial numbers, which is mandatory,” a senior lawyer said, requesting anonymity. Another lawyer echoed the concern, stating that the panel should have printed more ballots than the actual number of voters, a standard practice in elections. “The same thing took place in the 2014 DBA polls, and we flagged it then,” another lawyer noted. Amol Patne, a poll panel member, dismissed the allegations, attributing the issue to a printer error. “The error was from the printer’s part, but there was no shortage,” he told The Times of India. Voting continued after additional ballot papers were arranged, though some voters expressed frustration.#nagpur #district_bar_association #amol_patne #abhijit_wanjarri #atul_londhe
