COIMBATORE/CHENNAI: Around 10.30am on the R S Puram Boys High School, electorate noticed a curious sight. A bunch of ladies, most commonly of their overdue seventies, have been strolling and wobbling in opposition to the booth in one file. They have been adopted through a couple of other outdated girls, of their nineties, being pushed of their wheelchairs through volunteers toward the booth. All the ladies have been clutching their vibrant voter ID cards and booth slips in moderation.
Marudhatha, who appears to be like to be in her nineties, seemed round in marvel as she was slowly wheeled into the polling booth after a 10-minute-long-wait.
She came out with a slight smile on her face. “I have completed voting,” she stated with a sigh of reduction. Though she insisted that she had voted five years ago, Mahendran of Eera Nenjam Trust, who picked up the nonagenarian from the streets of Gandhipuram, stated it had been 10 to 15 years since she voted. “I used to have my vote in Nallampalayam,” she recollected.
Marudhatha is one of the 59 inmates of the refuge, run through Eera Nenjam, who solid their votes on Thursday despite having no prior documentation on them.
Out of the 59 electorate, at least 10 folks have been voting for the primary time of their lives, stated Mahendran. “Since my parents died when I was just a little boy, I don’t know my age or the rest about elections. But I am still glad that I did something, that everyone residing round us appears to be doing nowadays,” stated Krishnaswamy, elderly above 50 years. He had by no means voted till nowadays.
“I don’t know the rest about voting or elections. I don’t know what to really feel,” stated 42-year-old Shakti Priya who came out taking a look bewildered after casting her vote.
These women and men were given their ID cards just lately. “Most of these folks have been rescued from the streets the place they have been begging or simply lying down on pavements. They had absolutely no documents or ID cards when we rescued them,” stated Mahendran.
“However, for the whole lot right from admitting them to GH, applying for an outdated age pension, a unfastened wheelchair, an artificial limb, taking them outstation and in the end even cremating them, we want an identity,” he added. “Now with this voter ID, which is the primary evidence that they're Indian citizens, we will practice for an Aadhaar card and some advantages.”
Mahendran and his colleague began the method of seeking to get voter ID cards and getting integrated on the voter list two months ago. “We stored writing to the collectorate. A month ago, a revenue officer and village administrative officer visited the refuge and stated they have been going to provide us ID cards. Finally, we received the ID cards a couple of days back,” stated Mahendran.
On the other hand, nearly 100 pavement dwellers within the Gandhi Irwin Road in Chennai abstained from voting to express their anger in opposition to the political parties for now not conserving their promise. “We have been pleading for ration cards to hunt welfare schemes and area to guide a calm life. But the political parties are seeing us as voting inhabitants and prefer to ignore after elections,” stated 50-year-old Shanmugam who didn't vote this time.
He stated a complete of 58 households had been residing on the pavement right here for a number of years. Many of them didn't vote to send a message to the politicians.
Marudhatha, who appears to be like to be in her nineties, seemed round in marvel as she was slowly wheeled into the polling booth after a 10-minute-long-wait.
She came out with a slight smile on her face. “I have completed voting,” she stated with a sigh of reduction. Though she insisted that she had voted five years ago, Mahendran of Eera Nenjam Trust, who picked up the nonagenarian from the streets of Gandhipuram, stated it had been 10 to 15 years since she voted. “I used to have my vote in Nallampalayam,” she recollected.
Marudhatha is one of the 59 inmates of the refuge, run through Eera Nenjam, who solid their votes on Thursday despite having no prior documentation on them.
Out of the 59 electorate, at least 10 folks have been voting for the primary time of their lives, stated Mahendran. “Since my parents died when I was just a little boy, I don’t know my age or the rest about elections. But I am still glad that I did something, that everyone residing round us appears to be doing nowadays,” stated Krishnaswamy, elderly above 50 years. He had by no means voted till nowadays.
“I don’t know the rest about voting or elections. I don’t know what to really feel,” stated 42-year-old Shakti Priya who came out taking a look bewildered after casting her vote.
These women and men were given their ID cards just lately. “Most of these folks have been rescued from the streets the place they have been begging or simply lying down on pavements. They had absolutely no documents or ID cards when we rescued them,” stated Mahendran.
“However, for the whole lot right from admitting them to GH, applying for an outdated age pension, a unfastened wheelchair, an artificial limb, taking them outstation and in the end even cremating them, we want an identity,” he added. “Now with this voter ID, which is the primary evidence that they're Indian citizens, we will practice for an Aadhaar card and some advantages.”
Mahendran and his colleague began the method of seeking to get voter ID cards and getting integrated on the voter list two months ago. “We stored writing to the collectorate. A month ago, a revenue officer and village administrative officer visited the refuge and stated they have been going to provide us ID cards. Finally, we received the ID cards a couple of days back,” stated Mahendran.
On the other hand, nearly 100 pavement dwellers within the Gandhi Irwin Road in Chennai abstained from voting to express their anger in opposition to the political parties for now not conserving their promise. “We have been pleading for ration cards to hunt welfare schemes and area to guide a calm life. But the political parties are seeing us as voting inhabitants and prefer to ignore after elections,” stated 50-year-old Shanmugam who didn't vote this time.
He stated a complete of 58 households had been residing on the pavement right here for a number of years. Many of them didn't vote to send a message to the politicians.
Coimbatore: 59 homeless people cast their votes
![Coimbatore: 59 homeless people cast their votes]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
April 18, 2019
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