Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, May 19

The attempt to make political capital of the Balakot airstrikes to garner votes, it seems, did not go down well with Army personnel in the Ferozepur constituency.

At the polling booths in this border district meant for Army jawans, not one turned up. Booth numbers 61, 62, 63 and 64, set up inside a school in the cantonment area, part of the Ferozepur (Urban) Assembly segment, had 4,895 registered voters, most of them Army personnel and their kin. Not a single vote was cast, said Meenakshi Sharma, a booth-level officer.

Amit Gupta, SDM-cum-Assistant Returning Officer, said 16 polling booths were set up for the jawans and their families, where the turnout was 1.22 per cent. He could not explain why.

He said Army personnel can exercise franchise either as general or service voters. If enrolled as general voters, they cast through ballot. If service voters, polling is through ETPBS (Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot Service).

Maj Gen SS Chouhan (retd) said: “Veterans like us are not amused at the manner in which Army operations have been used to get votes.” Another officer observed: “It may have worked well with other segments, but certainly not with us in uniform.”