April 18, 2014 – arathimy

Call it urban inertia or indifference. The official voter turnout in Bangalore’s five constituencies indicate that the two less urban ones were more enthusiastic than the other three (Source: The Times of India, 18th April 2014):
– Bangalore North- 52%
– Bangalore Central -55%
– Bangalore South – 55%
– Bangalore Rural – 68%
– Chikkaballapur – 73% .

Age was not an excuse for my grandmother Kalyani Nair (93 yrs) and my grandfather’s sister Komalam Nair (92 yrs). Born in September 1920, my grandma must have voted in the first elections in 1951, but she says she is not sure. My grandfather was what you would call, an astute citizen. He was working in The Survey of India on Richmond Road in Bangalore. He surely would have exercised his voting rights and got my grandma to vote as well. Now, living in Yelahanka with my aunt, both she and the other old lady were got on to the Yelahanka electoral rolls for this election. Mobile and reasonably self-sufficient, they voted in the Chikkaballapur constituency, and they proudly showed me their thumbs when I met them last evening. Continue reading →