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Conjoined Amritsar twins Sohna, Mohna to cast ballot as separate voters
Inmates of Pingalwara orphanage in Amritsar, the conjoined Amritsar twins were invited by election officials on the National Voters’ Day to motivate voters in Punjab
Conjoined twins from Amritsar — Sohna and Mohna Singh — will cast their ballot for the first time on the polling day in Punjab on February 20 as separate voters.
Born on June 13, 2002, the twins had turned 18 in 2020 and were handed over separate “EPIC voter cards” on Tuesday by state chief electoral officer (CEO) S Karuna Raju. Inmates of Pingalwara orphanage in Amritsar, the two were invited by the election officials to Chandigarh on the National Voters’ Day so as to motivate the voters in Punjab.
“We will vote separately and independently and would not let each other know whom we are voting for,” said the two who were abandoned by their biological parents in a Delhi hospital after their birth. The twins have two hearts, two pairs of arms, kidneys, and spinal cords but a single liver, gall bladder, spleen and one pair of legs.
“We have decided to vote for new thinking, a new Punjab,” they added over phone. They are employed as an electrical supervisor by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). CEO Raju said a special permission was taken from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to give them individual voting rights.
Special arrangement will be made so that for Sohna and Mohna could vote separately so as to maintain privacy.
The event was also attended virtually by deputy commissioners-cum-district election officers who handed over EPIC cards to first-time voters in the districts.
Raju, who was accompanied by additional CEO DPS Kharbanda and other officials, said the EC’s theme this time was “making elections inclusive, accessible and participative”.
Raju also unveiled the poster of ‘Know Your Candidate’ mobile application, using which voters can know the particulars and criminal antecedents of any candidate. He said the mobile app was developed to access criminal antecedents of contesting candidates to ensure transparent elections.
