IDUKKI: With blurred vision and trembling hands, 92-year-old Sivalingam cast his vote for the Lok Sabha elections on Wednesday. A resident of Nooradikudi, a tribal hamlet at the Edamalakkudi panchayat in Idukki, the nonagenarian was high on spirit when he cast his vote through postal ballot at the makeshift polling booth set up at his residence by the election officials.
Sivalingam, who has been bedridden for long, applied for postal vote because of his condition. The district election department accepted his request and assigned a 9-member team of polling officers to arrange a facility for him to vote.
The team, comprising three women officials, travelled 18km by foot through the dense forest to realise Sivalingam’s right to vote. They set off from Munnar at 6 am and reached Keppakkadu near Edamalakkudy by 8 am. As four-wheelers could travel only up to Keppakkadu, the officials had to walk for the rest of the journey. After a trek that lasted more than 5 hours, crossing rivers and temporary bridges made of twigs, the officials reached the settlement at 1.15 pm.
After the officials arranged a voting compartment near the 92-year-old’s bed to ensure secrecy, Sivalingam, with the support of his grandson, cast his vote and handed over the sealed envelope to the officials.
District Collector Sheeba George said the Edamalakkudi mission is the best example to realise the importance the Election Commission gives even for a single vote. “The district administration is on a mission to ensure 100% polling in the Edamalakkudy tribal settlement,” she said.
Devikulam sub-collector V M Jayakrishnan lauded the officials’ effort and promised them an appreciation.