Several senior citizens across the Capital lined up at polling booths early in the morning on Saturday, with the number witnessing a steady decline as the day wore on. The older voters, some of whom came to the polling stations in wheelchairs, said they arrived early to avoid the heat.
The voters said several issues determined their vote, including the accessibility of government hospitals, unemployment, inflation, and governance.
“Delhi needs better government hospitals. We all saw what happened during the pandemic. We don’t have sufficient health facilities in Janakpuri,” said wheelchair-bound Prem Sharma, 83, who cast her vote in Janakpuri in West Delhi constituency.
Eighty-three-year-old Prem Sharma said she voted for better health care. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Sixty-year-old Mohd. Hasan, who cast his vote in West Delhi’s Madipur, said he had to let go of several workers at his cloth dyeing shop in the recent past. “There is no money to pay salaries. On top of that, people in my family have been unemployed for a long time as there are no jobs. I have voted with the hope that my children and former employees can find work,” he said.
He added that inflation was a big concern. “All items required to run a home have become so expensive. Milk, vegetables, gas — everything is out of budget,” he said.
In North East Delhi’s Seemapuri, Bimlesh Devi, 70, also expressed concern about the lack of jobs. “My grandchildren are about to graduate from college. I want them to have respectable jobs. Having seen how children from our neighbourhood have struggled to find employment in the past decade, I feel anxious about my grandchildren’s future,” she said. “I will vote for the party that has promised employment for the youth.”
Seventy-eight-year-old Mohd. Shafiq said his vote had gone to the party that does not target religious communities for political gains. “There has been constant vilification and shaming of minorities. Our country was made of love, not hate, so we cannot let this happen. I have voted for peace,” said Mr. Shafiq, who voted in New Delhi constituency.
