As many as 120 residents of Niwara, an previous age dwelling in Pune’s Navi Peth, aged between 65 and 91, are able to go to the polling cubicles for this Lok Sabha elections.
Over the past month, Election Fee officers visited the premises and stuffed out voter registration varieties for many who didn’t have one.
A complete of 95 voter ID playing cards have been issued, of which 10 are for these aged above 85 and 16 are for individuals with disabilities.
“We now have been making an attempt to get this carried out for a few years now. However no person was taking the accountability and we didn’t need to strategy any political social gathering for assist. However this time, the ECI despatched a crew and supplied all the assistance that was wanted. It exhibits that if one division genuinely understands the necessity, it might probably occur”, stated Rajiv Natu, m ember of the managing committee of Niwara.
The voter ID playing cards have been made based mostly on paperwork like Aadhar card and a certificates from Niwara stating that they’re residents on the old-age dwelling.
However getting voter IDs made was solely the start as some residents can be voting with EVM for the primary time.
Padmakar Narayan Adkar, 67, says, “I’ve solely casted my vote as soon as in life. The final time I voted was throughout Congress time, when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister. That point we had a voting slip. Just a few days in the past, the officers defined the best way to vote through EVM and I noticed it intently.”
Adkar has solely studied until class 9, by no means received married and doesn’t have a household. He moved in at Niwara in 2019 and has change into a member who makes use of the library essentially the most and reads the newspaper on a regular basis.
“Officers from ECI carried out demonstrations for round three- hours final month. It gave these individuals confidence that they’ll all vote at this age too and they’re all very excited. The polling sales space is hardly 5 minutes away. The ECI had provided to ship a automobile, however we shall be arranging our personal, stated Ravindra L Marathe, a volunteer at Niwara.
A few of the voters who received registered on this course of are those who moved out of their hometown to return and keep at Niwara such because the Hanwadikar brother-sister duo.
Residents of Akola, they moved to Niwara two years in the past. “We now have by no means missed a single voting in our life. Our dad was 87-years-old, when he final voted earlier than he handed away at 90. Taking voting critically was a accountability handed all the way down to us. This 12 months, because of transferring out to a brand new place, we have been nervous. However are glad all of it labored out,” Hanwadikar siblings stated.
Dwelling at an previous age dwelling, which takes actually excellent care of them, Hanwadikar siblings don’t have something to ask from the federal government for themselves, however they are going to be voting on problems with nationwide curiosity.
Vilas Hanwadikar (71) stated, “My vote shall be for the nation’s betterment. For those who will clear up political and financial issues. This isn’t me casting a vote as a piece of people that stay in previous age houses, however as a citizen of the nation.”
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