TUMAKURU: The walking god ('nadedavuva 'devaru') 111 year old Sri Shivakumara Swamiji of famous Siddaganga Mutt here has continued to set an example by exercising his franchise on Saturday.
The Swamiji has cast his vote in almost all the elections held after India's independence from gram panchayath polls to the Lok Sabha polls without a miss. He chose his choice of the candidates ever since.
Every election, as soon as he performed the rituals in the morning, he will be the first one to stand at the polling station to exercise his vote. But this time owing to his age-related issues he could not be the first. His junior Sri Siddalinga Swamiji followed in his footsteps as he exercised his franchise as soon as the polling started at 7 a.m.
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Shivakumara Swamiji arrived along with his assistants at the polling station at around 10.15 a.m, put his signature and got his left index finger inked and pressed the button on the EVM to select his choice of candidate.
The Mutt which falls under Myadala gram panchayath in Tumakuru rural assembly constituency has a polling booth set up at the middle school premises. It has 396 voters including 262 men and 134 women.
The administrative officer of the Mutt Vishwanathaiah informed as the centenarian Swamiji has also exercised his franchise during the polls pre-Independence when the voting rights were given to the tax payers of the lands as the Mutt used to pay tax to the then British Raj.