HUBBALLI: 96 voters in one family! Yes, you read it right. No political party can ignore the Koppad family of Noolvi village in Dharwad district, as this colossal household of 180 members comprises 96 eligible voters.
Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency went to the polls on Tuesday (May 7) and saw a turnout of 68%.
The Koppad family of 180 lives in different houses on the same street in the village. Of the 96 voters, 30 are women. While the men, who also number 30, visit the polling booths during their lunch time, the seniors vote in the evening hours owing to the scorching summer. ”We do not miss voting,” said Kanteppa Koppad, a senior member of the family.
“Since the beginning, we have lived in one large house. When families started growing, we started shifting to different houses on the same street, and today the entire street has Koppad family houses. Men who work in fields go to vote after the women return home. For us elections are a reason for a get-together like any other festival,” he added.
Fakiravva Koppad, who is a Gram Panchayat member, pointed out that their family constitutes 30% of the total votes in the ward that she represents. “We are 180 members now living in separate houses next to each other in the village. Every family has its own business, such as agriculture, vehicles on rent, and shops. Children study in villages as well as in Hubballi,” she added. The families come together on many occasions, including the annual pilgrimage. “We need 12 vehicles and we move like a convoy,” she added.
Voting is a serious matter, and we encourage all families to exercise their franchise,” said an elderly member of the family. “Though we live separately, we come together during festivals. The election is nothing less than any festival for us,” he said.
38 of a family vote in one booth!
Davanagere: Thirty-eight voters from a single family voted in Davanagere on Tuesday. Journalists K Chan-dranna and K Ekanthappa, who are brothers, along with 36 members of their family residing at Davanagere North Assembly segment, voted in a booth in Bakke-shwara High School. “My sis-ter Yashodha Handral and her husband YY Handral along with their son HY Praveen, came from Delhi to vote. Another daughter, Aishwarya Rani, also came from Bengaluru to vote,” Ekanthappa told TNIE.