BENGALURU: They are among very few voters who have seen all the elections in Karnataka, even during the time of Mysuru State. Over 17,000 registered voters in the electoral rolls for this year’s state Assembly elections are over 100 years old. According to the office of the chief electoral officer in Karnataka, this is the highest-ever number of centenarian voters in the state so far.
In total, the state has 5.21 crore registered voters and of them, 2.59 crore are women. The first-time voters are 9.17 lakh and third-gender voters, are 4,699. Apart from these, there are 16,973 centenarians, of whom 9,985 are women.
Many of these centenarians may step out to vote, but many of them may not be able to get out of their homes due to age-related issues. They are part of 12.15 lakh registered voters who are over 80 years old. To help such elderly citizens, the Election Commission this time has introduced the option of postal ballot, where they can vote from home.
Bengaluru District (including Bengaluru Rural and BBMP limits) has 4,081 centenarian voters. It is followed by Mysuru (1,744) and Belagavi (1,536). The three districts make up for nearly 40 per cent of all the centenarian voters. Kodagu has the least number of such voters at 112. Gadag has 122, Yadgir 142, Vijayanagara 186 and Uttara Kannada 193.
‘Centenarians know value of democracy’
The first Assembly elections in the state, then Mysuru state, were held in March 1951. Since then, the state has seen 15 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha elections. “Those who are around 90 years old have seen all these elections. We do not know if they voted but have definitely seen them all.
We want those who are over 100 years old to vote in this election,” said an official. “These elderly voters have witnessed or been part of India’s Independence struggle and know the value of democracy. They usually vote unless they have health issues,” he added.