92-yr-old man to exercise his franchise for first time this LS polls

Sahibganj, Apr 5 (PTI) Ninety-two-year-old physically challenged Khalil Ansari will exercise his right to cast vote for the time in the Lok Sabha elections after Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) directed Sahibganj district election officials on Friday to register his name in the electoral roll with immediate effect, an official said.

CEO K Ravi Kumar was in Sahibganj on Friday and made surprise inspections at polling booths in Mundro block of the district, around 450-km from Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi.

He also visited several villages and met senior citizens and physically challenged voters, according to an official release. During his visit, he asked Ansari if he was a registered voter. “I never exercised my franchise as my name is not there in voter list,” Ansari told the CEO. A resident of Badkhori village, Ansari is a resident of Rajmahal parliamentary constituency, which will go to polls on June 1.

Kumar directed the officials to enroll his name in the electoral roll with immediate effect. Ansari expressed his thanks to the CEO and said, “I will cast my vote for sure for the first time.”

The CEO also met other senior voters of the region and took stock of the minimum facilities and other arrangements available for senior citizens and physically challenged at the polling stations.