A 107-year-old farmer from the Sulur constituency in Coimbatore exercised his right to franchise on Thursday, casting what his family said was his 72nd vote. Despite age-related health issues, Ponnusamy, who is also a teacher of Vallikummiyattam, a traditional Kongu folk dance, voted at a government primary school booth in Sikkanayakanpalayam. He was accompanied by his grandson, Dr. S. Vigneshwaran, as he could no longer walk independently to the polling station.
Elderly Voters Defy Age Barriers
Several other senior citizens in the region also turned out to vote, demonstrating that age is no barrier to civic duty. Ramaathal, 92, and A. Rajamma, 90, both visited their respective polling stations without assistance. Rajamma, who voted at a private matriculation school in Peelamedu, said she had never missed an election and deeply valued voting. Ramaathal, who voted at a booth in Ram Nagar, noted that she was unable to vote in the previous election due to an error in official records that wrongly marked her as deceased.
Padmavathi, 84, from Avarampalayam, also exercised her franchise. She said she closely follows political developments through news and never misses election updates. She observed that this election witnessed significant changes with several new entrants in the political arena.
Determination Amidst Challenges
M. Babu, 75, who is bedridden, arrived at a polling station in Kuniyamuthur in an ambulance to cast his vote. Santhanam, 79, and his wife Usha, 72, said they have been voting together in every election since their marriage in 1979. They noted that this election saw less campaigning activity and that actor Vijay's entry created a wave in Tamil Nadu politics.
However, some elderly and disabled voters faced difficulties at polling booths that had only one wheelchair, forcing them to wait for at least 15 minutes to cast their votes. Despite these challenges, the spirit of democracy remained strong among the senior citizens of Coimbatore.
