DWARKAITES CAST THEIR VOTES
The festival of democracy – the Lok Sabha election – was noticeable with great enthusiasm in Dwarka. There were big crowds at various polling booths from early morning itself. It was Saturday, but instead of having a staid holiday for office goers, long queues were seen at polling stations. Maybe, to beat and avoid the scorching heat of Delhi, people old and young, male or female, aged or young were there early in the morning at 7 am to exercise their right of franchise. They were at booths to elect an able government at the centre.
The election staff along with security personnel were seen politely guiding the people, and staff was eager to help out on queries. The morning heat sometimes raised the temperature of electorates who were standing in heat in long queues. There were petty squabbles and arguments if someone tried to break the queue. Those who seldom spoke to each other despite living in the same locality could be seen involved in conversations and enquiring on the well-being of each other. Many senior citizens were seen in wheelchairs. Volunteers were seen helping and assisting elderly people on wheelchairs. Said A. K. Sharma, 80 years, “I and my wife went on wheelchair and there were ramps made for wheelchair to reach the rooms. We were given priority and volunteers took care of us.” Some citizens who were standing in queue did face difficulty, especially with the hot weather but added Rakesh Batra, “The responsibility towards the nation was bigger than such issues and we were happy to fulfill our duty towards the nation.” Many first time voters were excited to make use of their right for the first time ever with a dream to contribute in electing their representative and the government. “The chance to contribute towards deciding the course of action comes once in five years and there is no point sitting back at home while such an important process is underway,” a young voter added, speaking on the importance of voting. There were some instances where the voters expressed difficulties in finding their names in the voters list, but later with the assistance from the poll officials, were able to cast their votes. The voter turnout was reported to be high during early hours, again picking up its pace towards evening. People also appreciated arrangements like availability of drinking water, public utilities and shades made by the Election Commission of India in a bid to make it easier for the electorate. There were no reports of any untoward incidents during the poll process in Dwarka. The police personnel were present in adequate numbers to ensure a peaceful and secure polling process.
Dwarka City received hundreds of photos of Voters of Dwarka but due to space crunch we regret missing few of them.
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