Baramulla: 107 year old Bakhti Begum, wearing traditional big earrings, trudged towards polling station housed in Vetarnary Hospital Sheeri to cast her vote saying that this could be her last vote but it can bring some change in the lives of people living in the village.
Standing in a queue at a polling station in Narwah Baramulla, Bakhti Buegum wife of Gaffar Bhat of Sheeri Bala said, “I have been casting my vote since I got eligible. I never missed it despite turmoil”
“This can be my last vote but I cast it as it can bring some change in the lives of people in my village. When people like me cast vote, young and dejected youth should learn that there is always hope for best,” says Bakhti.
When asked what she wanted, she retorted back: “I need nothing but financial assistance as I have to buy medicine in this old age because I am suffering from many ailments. There are many problems which our representatives need to address.”
Her son Ghulam Ahmed said the family had difficulty in persuading the elderly woman not to go for ballot but she didn’t agree.
The presiding officer said the polling station has 202 registered voters and 75 voters cast their till 12:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, amid shutdown and stringent security arrangements, polling was held in three Panchayat blocks- Nadihal, Narwah and Boniyar- of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district where out of 29345 voters, 16685 voters including 8434 female and 8251 male cast their votes recording 56.86 percent polling.
Among the three blocks, Boniyar Uri block recorded the highest voter turnout of 80.17 percent. Out of 12200 votes 9781 cast their votes. In Narwah while Sheeri, Kitchma, Zandafaran, Gantamulla witnessed berserk polling, there was low polling in Fathegarh.
