Jalpaiguri, April 19 -- The Majhi family of Club Road, Jalpaiguri hogs the limelight each election. All political parties try to woo them. This joint family boasts of 47 voters, the eldest being 98 years and the youngest being an 18-year-old voter.
On Friday, the 98-year-old and her relative, an 87-year-old, visited the polling booth to vote, shunning the special provision for the elderly to vote from the comforts of their home.
"We are physically fit so why should we vote from home? Moreover, why should I miss the fun of going to vote together with all our family members?" questioned 87-year-old Putul Majhi while talking to Millennium Post.
At around 8 am, Putul Majhi accompanied by four generations of voters from her family arrived at the Rashtriya Balika Vidyalaya in Jalpaiguri, the polling station where the Majhi family votes. Heads turned to watch 27 members of the Majhi family walk in together. The current head of the family, Basmati Majhi, is 98-years-old. She had even visited the booth on Friday to cast her vote. "Ours is a joint family. We still live together with our sons, their families and grandchildren. There are 50 members in the family of which 47 are voters," added Putul Majhi.
"We come in two batches. The first batch was led by my aunty who is 98-years-old. Two more voters will increase in the next election. Even though everyone in the family is a voter, there is no political discussion at home. It is a strict instruction of my aunt, along with politics we don't even discuss who voted for whom at home," Putul Majhi's son Sanjit Majhi said. Dolly Majhi voted for the first time this year. "I was so excited to vote for the first time. It was an interesting experience. This makes the experience unique," added Dolly.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.