It was a front-foot performance. He places his right foot down on a wooden bench. An official marks it with indelible ink. The man, with no hands, then moves to the polling booth. There, he again raises his foot and votes, shows a video from Gujarat.
Voting is on in 93 constituencies across 10 states and a Union Territory in the third phase today of the marathon six-week election for the Lok Sabha polls.
Ankit Soni – bespectacled, dressed in a shirt and trousers – lost his hands some 15-20 years ago.
“I lost both my hands due to electric shock 20 years ago. With the blessings of my teachers and guru, I completed my graduation, then MBA,” said Mr Soni who voted at a polling booth in Nadiad, in the Kheda district of Gujarat.
“I appeal to people to come out and vote,” he added, and posed for cameras.
In another part of the state, a priest cast his ballot on Tuesday, ensuring a 100 percent turnout at the polling station where he is the sole registered voter.
Polling officials traversed through the Gir forest to set up a voting booth in Banej, where Mahant Haridas Udaseen is the sole resident.
“The fact that a team of 10 people came here in the jungle for just one voter shows how important each vote is,” the 42-year-old told AFP, holding up a finger marked with indelible ink to show he had voted.
“I am loving the attention that I am getting as a lone voter in the forest,” he said, adding, “It shows the power of democracy and makes me feel like the most important person in the world.”
Nearly 97 crore Indians are eligible to vote in this year’s Lok Sabha elections.
Polling is taking place on all 26 seats in Gujarat. The BJP swept the state in both 2014 and 2019.
The votes will be counted on June 4.
