Ailing MP Girish Bapat votes, many senior citizens use postal ballot option

Bapat, with his nasal cannula on, came to the polling station at Ahilyadevi Highschool in a car to exercise his voting right. He was later taken inside the polling booth in a wheelchair

After largely staying away from the campaign, ailing Member of Parliament (MP) from Pune Girish Bapat exercised his franchise on Sunday in the by-election to the Kasba Peth assembly constituency.

Girish Bapat came on a wheelchair to cast his vote at Ahilyadevi School near Motibaug on Sunday. (Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)

Bapat, with his nasal cannula on, came to the polling station at Ahilyadevi Highschool in a car to exercise his voting right. He was later taken inside the polling booth in a wheelchair.

Owing to ill health, Bapat had largely stayed away from the campaign although he addressed a meeting at Kesari Wada, which prompted questions from the Congress party about BJP forcing the ailing MP to step out to gain them some margin.

Before winning the Lok Sabha election in 2019, Bapat had represented this Assembly segment located in the heart of Pune five times. He is also known to have a strong grip over the area.

Another resident from Kasba Peth, Harakisan Kapadiya, who recently turned 100, voted by postal ballot because the Election Commission of India had made special postal voting arrangements for senior citizens and disabled people over the age of 80.

A total of 299 senior citizens and four disabled citizens had registered for this facility in the Kasba Peth assembly constituency where the bypoll was concluded peacefully.

“In all previous elections, I went to cast my vote physically. But this time, since Election Commission had offered this facility, I chose the option. It was very helpful for seniors like me,” said Kapadiya.

As a part of the exercise, polling officials reached these voters to hand them over the ballot, which was collected on the polling day.