Voters at a polling booth at the Government Girls Middle School in Gandhi Bazaar on Friday, during the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.
DH Photo/BK Janardhan
Bengaluru residents exercised their franchise on Friday, amid the rising heat and crowded polling stations.
As DH visited polling stations inside the Bengaluru Urban district to gauge the voters’ mood, we saw several middle-aged and elderly voters setting out early to beat the heat. Over 60 voters waited for their turn at St Joseph’s Indian High School in the city centre as early as 7 am.
Aslesha Khandeparkar, who has been voting at the school for the past two parliamentary elections with her 90-year-old mother Leela Bhasin, was shocked to find the nonagenarian’s name deleted from the electoral list. "We brought her here with great difficulty in a wheelchair only to learn that her name has been deleted. We are not leaving until my mother casts her vote," she said.
In southern Bengaluru, voters queued as early as 6.30 am, accompanied by friends and family, including children, transforming polling booths into festive hubs of democracy.
Across several booths, people either voted with a national outlook or wanted changes.
Voting at a government school in Palace Guttahalli, Varun, a civil engineer, said people voting for parties rather than for candidates is an open secret.
A 91-year-old voter emerging from Sadashivnagar’s Poorna Prajna Education Center with her daughter by her side, noted, “We have voted for the ones who will do right by the nation. We need people in the government who ensure the freedom of its citizens as envisioned by our forefathers in the Constitution.”
Payal Bothra, a homemaker voting at the HKES Veerendra Patil College in Sadashivnagar, said she voted for development and infrastructure. “These problems need to be solved,” she added.
First-time voter Bhuvi Jain, at Gandhi Bazaar’s Tin School, wanted her representative to address development, infrastructure and women’s safety in the city.
Minutes before voting ended, people continued to queue up before the polling stations.
One near the Indira Canteen on Srinivagilu Main Road witnessed a long line of voters at 5.45 pm, a sign that people tried hard not to miss out.
Engaging conversations
Friday also proved to be a learning experience for future voters.
Subhashini, a marketing professional, brought her 12-year-old son to the polling station in Dollars Colony to teach him the system and the importance of voting.
Voters also engaged in exciting discussions with family and friends on their intention to vote in the elections.