BENGALURU: A testimony to the conscientious rural voter is being played out at Cantonment Railway Station in Bengaluru as poll day approaches. Thursday saw hundreds of passengers waiting for the Guwahati Express that departs at 11.40 pm from here.
At least 2,000 passengers are expected to hop on board the 24-coach train (Train no. 12509) that reaches its destination nearly 48 hours later. Among those heading to the North East from the South to exercise his franchise is Prashant Taid. This employee at a plastic pipe firm in Hosur, will travel an additional eight hours from Guwahati to his village in Laichinpua district in Assam to vote. “I don’t want my vote going to waste,” said the 37-year-old.
Rajiv Basumatary, a tempo driver, is travelling from Mulbagal in Kolar to Kashikutra village in Assam to make sure he is at home on April 23. “I reached here at 4 pm so that I have time to buy a ticket. The chairs at the platforms are not enough, many of us are seated at the entrance of the station,” he said.
Several people from different villages in Assam and West Bengal shared their urgency to travel home to vote. Many are travelling on open tickets, while some are travelling ticket-less too. Arthik Baruah, who works in Tumakuru and hails from a village near Darjeeling, said, “Everyone in my village casts their vote during elections . No one in my family has ever missed polling day, so I was keen to go to home too.”
Dilip Rai, from Jalpaiguri village in West Bengal, has taken a 10-day break from work to go home to vote. “There is much value attached to every vote in our village. Our elders insist we come down to vote, from wherever we are,” he said.
Soumitra Chatterjee, a homemaker, said going home to vote also gives her the chance to visit relatives. “My husband is going to vote in his village in Dibrugarh, Assam, and insists I go too. So many people we know in Bengaluru are going back home to cast their vote, so we cannot be left behind.”
Guwahati Express runs on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays from Cantonment station.