Music composer and playback singer Amit Trivedi recently voiced his disappointment after being unable to cast his vote in Phase 5 of the Lok Sabha Election 2024 held in Mumbai. Trivedi shared a video on his Twitter handle, explaining how his name was missing from the voter’s list despite having all necessary identification documents.
Voting Day Disappointment
In his video message, Amit Trivedi detailed his experience: “I went for voting today and the moment I reached the booth, I showed them a receipt which had the booth number mentioned on it. As you can see, ‘Akramank 1080’, the officer put a cross on it. This was given to me by the officers present outside. I had my voter ID and Aadhaar card in place. In the booth, I was told the 1080 number is not present, so go back to where you got your receipt and get it fixed.”
Lengthy Verification Process
Trivedi continued to describe his attempts to resolve the issue: “I went back and there was a huge queue. After waiting there for 30 minutes, I reached the person, and he checked some books and papers, and that search went on for another 30 minutes. Ultimately, he said, ‘Sorry sir! Nahi hai, you can’t vote.’” He captioned his post with a poignant remark: “Voting is our constitutional right. Today I was denied that right and I feel helpless. Did this happen to anyone else? How and why?? #elections.”
Public Reactions and Clarifications
The post garnered numerous reactions, with users suggesting ways he could have avoided the issue. One user commented, “That’s why you should take the effort and check online where all your details are listed by @ECISVEEP… you can search by ID number or mobile number, would have saved a lot of trouble.” Another wrote, “Why didn’t you yourself check your part number & serial number via @ECISVEEP web/app facility. It’s pretty robust & useful.”
Trivedi later responded to the comments, clarifying: “I have seen your replies here. Just to make it clear, all the online due diligence and checking was done in advance. Another family member and I were in the correct booth, one got to vote and the other didn’t.”
Amit Trivedi is credited as a playback singer in popular films like Andhadhun, Kedarnath, Badhaai Do, and RRR. His contributions to the Indian music industry are well-recognized, and his inability to vote highlights the need for more efficient electoral processes to ensure every citizen’s right to vote is upheld.