Bihar’s conjoined twins elated after voting for first time

Conjoined twins Saba and Farah exercised their franchise as first-time voters on a single-voter identity card during the third phase of Bihar polls here on Wednesday.

Conjoined twins Saba and Farah exercised their franchise as first-time voters on a single-voter identity card during the third phase of Bihar polls here on Wednesday.

Twins Saba and Farah exercised their right to vote for the first time during the third phase of Bihar assembly elections. (HT File Photo)

The two, who cine star Salman Khan called sisters after they tied rakhi on his wrist in 2009-10, were ebullient after voting.

“We have voted for development. People should be more conscious about participating in the democratic process of government formation. We are very happy to be part of this process,” they said, emerging out of a poll booth at Madrasa Islamia on Patna’s Bailey Road.

Last month, chief minister Nitish Kumar had raised their monthly pension from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 after the two met him at his ‘janata durbar’. Two years ago, the state government had agreed to pay the grant following a Supreme Court directive.

“While the government has increased the pension, it is yet to hand over the shop at Patna’s Maurya Lok Complex that the chief minister had assured my sisters,” Mohammed Tamanna, the twin’s brother, told HT.

The family of 10 — eight children born to Md Shakeel Ahmed and Rabia Khatoon — sustain on the government pension to the twins.

“The eatery vend, which my father used to operate was shut down two years ago,” Tamanna said.