GANDHINAGAR, Sept 5: No serpentine queues, no efforts by workers of rival political parties to mobilise voters, no festivity. In Gandhinagar constituency on Sunday, the mood of rural voters seemed to be one of indifference.Even the festive mood the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manages to summon up, come polling day, was missing. This in a constituency where its leader Lal Krishna Advani is contesting against T.N. Seshan of the Congress.In the early hours of voting, turnout was at a pathetic low: those who turned up seemed to have been drawn by the novelty of the electronic voting machines (EVMs). Turnout hovered at some eight per cent till about noon.At the Gandhinagar Muncipal School No 11-12, Bharadiyavas, where Advani turned up to cast vote, there was a minor ruckus. When Advani, accompanied by his wife Kamla, entered the polling booth (88/93) at about 9:30 a.m., a Congress polling agent identified as Vinod Kantharia told the presiding officer that Advani's father's name was not mentioned in the voters' list and so he should not be allowed to cast his vote. However, the polling officer ruled out the objection immediately and allowed Advani to cast his vote.Tempers ran high as Advani and his wife apparently ignored the ruckus and went about casting his vote. Police and the election authorities tried to pacify Kantharia, who had started shouting, said eyewitnesses.They said that then Kantharia started loudly requesting people to take him to hospital as he was feeling severe chest pain. Meanwhile, Advani and his wife left the room after casting his vote.Other than this there were no other incidents of note, perhaps because the turnout was low. But curiosity for the voting machines ran high.Especially in villagers like Maniben of Randheja. ``I was not that keen to come to the booth, as I hate having to vote every year. But I though I should use the machines that have been pressed into service,'' she said.Maniben said she was happy with the machine. ``I found it very convenient.''Interestingly, EVMs seemed to have attracted aged voters more than the younger ones. Hardly anyone was complaining about them. Most of them said the machines should have been introduced earlier.Bhikhaji Thakore of Pethapur village said, ``Such machines should have been introduced in all the 26 constituencies.''Polling was low. Only 16 per cent turnout was reported by noon in Pethapur village, while it was hardly 10 per cent in Randheja and Chiloda. Even in the Capital township, turnout was as low as 11 per cent till 11 a.m. and picked up only after 3 p.m.A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker at Pethapur village said, ``People seem to be fed up, with politics and with politicians. And they don't like general elections being held frequently.''
