Senior citizens vote enthusiastically, helped by wheelchair

New Delhi, April 10: A wheelchair stationed at every polling station was a blessing for senior citizens who turned up enthusiastically to vote on Thursday.

The Election Commission of India made arrangements to have wheelchairs at every polling station for the Delhi Lok Sabha election.

For retired UN officer S.L. Sharma, 95, the wheelchair proved a boon. He was wheeled in comfortably right inside his booth at Barakhamba Road. It saved him the bother of having to shuffle slowly, helped by relatives, like he had done during the past election.

"The arrangements for voting were very good. I want to congratulate the election commission. I voted for change. There is so much corruption and I want change, Sharma told IANS while sitting on the wheelchair.

Kalitara Mandal, 104, went to cast her vote at a booth in Chittaranjan Park, south Delhi.

Her son Sukhranjan, who wheeled her to the polling booth using the wheelchair, told IANS: "She is not keeping well. But we brought her to vote."

Kalitara is among the 324 voters in Delhi aged above 100 years.

Rukmini, 90, came on a wheelchair to the polling station in Nirman Bhavan, New Delhi constituency.

"I want a good government. I have voted every time, and appeal to others to vote as well," Rukmini, who was accompanied by her son, said.

R.K. Dhamija, a 95-year-old voter in Karol Bagh constituency, found it a comfortable ride to the polling booth in the wheelchair.

"Yes, I have voted. It was really easy this time. My arthritis makes it painful for me to walk. But this time, the wheelchair was very useful… I have voted for change," Dhamija told IANS. He was wheeled in by his son.

Besides the century-plus voters, Delhi also has 10,104 senior voters between the age of 90 and 100.

IANS