Known for their long-standing tradition of forming queues and waiting patiently for their turn within and outside their barracks, the soldiers of the Madras Regiment, affectionately called ‘Thambis’ lined up for the first time at the Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) in Wellington near here on Thursday, to exercise their franchise in the Nilgiris Parliamentary constituency for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
VotersIn the process, they became first time voters of a different kind.
This was made possible by the Supreme Court opening the doors for defence personnel in peace stations to get themselves registered as general voters in the constituencies where they are posted and earn their right to vote.
With the commandant MRC Brigadier S. Suresh Kumar leading them in casting their votes, about 2,000 soldiers performed their democratic duty along with their family members at a booth that was located inside the Cantonment Middle School in Wellington.
While welcoming the verdict of Supreme Court, some of the visibly pleased soldiers told The Hindu that the experience was fulfilling.
