Tension was writ large on the faces of Riya Antony and K.S. Anagha, two young voters, as they queued up at the polling station at the Valluvalli Government School, Paravur.
Though the two friends had mentally rehearsed before reaching the polling station, nervousness gripped the duo as they moved closer to the polling booth.
“I am a bit nervous. I am afraid whether I will be able to cast my vote successfully and whether something will go wrong when I vote,” said Ms. Anagha, a B. Pharm student in Kochi.
Incidentally, the model polling exercises held at their colleges were of little help for the two first-time voters in overcoming their anxiety.
“At the college, we underwent all formalities involved in the polling process except casting of vote in the electronic voting machine. There, we wrote the name of the candidate on a piece of paper and dropped it in a box,” said Ms. Antony, a D.Ed student.
Guiding his daughter
Shajahan, father of Ms. Anagha, was seen giving instructions on voting to the girls who stood patiently in the queue.
“I spoke to her about the importance of election and the need for exercising franchise. Also, I explained the voting procedures. I have not asked my daughter to vote for any particular candidate as she knows who to vote for,” Mr. Shajahan said.
Asserting her democratic rights, Ms. Anagha said she would vote for the candidate of her choice.
T.P. Sangeeth and Emmanuel Benedict Benny, two first-time voters at the Valluvalli Government School, too were nervous about casting their votes.
“Am a bit confused,” said Benny, a B.tech student, as he was unsure about the voting procedures despite being exposed to the model polling exercise held at his college.
The inability to bring the identity card issued by the Election Commission of India for voting added to his worry.
However, calmness returned when he was informed that he could use his driving licence as a valid identity card for voting.
Mr. Sangeeth too appeared nervous as he waited for his turn to vote.
“We never had any exposure to the model voting programme. Yet, I will vote,” said Sangeeth who works as a salesperson at an automobile shop in Paravur.
Later, Sangeeth was spotted outside the booth after successfully casting his first vote.
