Citizens Go Extra Mile to Vote in Pune: Stories of Dedication from Birmingham, Boston, and Muzaffarpur
Reported by Varad Bhatkhande
Pune, 13th May 2024: Some citizens have gone the extra mile to exercise their right to vote in the Lok Sabha elections, thereby strengthening our country’s democracy.
According to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) ‘Voter Turnout’ App, there has been approximately a 65.68% voter turnout after Phase 3 of voting. While this number might seem significant, considering our population, a considerable number of people are not exercising their right to vote. This is concerning, considering India’s status as the largest democracy in the world, and its citizens not acknowledging it.
India is witnessing its 18th Lok Sabha elections, crucial for selecting the country’s leadership for the next 5 years. These elections are being conducted in 7 phases, with 3 phases completed and 4 yet to occur. Today marks the 4th phase. The election process began on April 19, 2024, and will conclude on June 1, 2024, with results declared on June 4, 2024.
To exercise their right to vote, some citizens have gone above and beyond, disregarding their location or making extra efforts to vote. Despite having reasons not to, they remain committed. Today, some of these voters cast their ballots in Pune district. Here are their stories:
1) Dhruv Matade – Birmingham/Pimpri.
Dhruv Matade, currently residing in Birmingham but originally from Pimpri, flew all the way back from Birmingham to exercise his voting rights. Dhruv, who moved to the United Kingdom to pursue a master’s degree in finance and has since settled there with a job, hasn’t forgotten his roots. He made the trip solely to vote, spending Rs. 90,000 for the round trip and dedicating over 10 hours to each journey. He has voted once before, but at that time, he used to reside in India.
Sharing his thoughts with Punekar News, he said, “This is my first time voting since I moved to UK. When I came last time, I made sure I had my voter ID card. What motivated me to come all the way down here is the strengthening of my country’s democracy by ensuring that every citizen who can vote does so. Abroad, I see how much people value our democracy. My Lok Sabha constituency is Maval, and here, in my opinion, Shrirang Appa Barne from the NDA Alliance might win, while I also believe Narendra Modi will become PM for his third term.”
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2) Bhide Siblings – Boston/Kothrud
Brother and sister duo, Pushkar and Supriya Bhide, currently residing in Boston, USA, but natives of Kothrud, flew from Boston to Pune to cast their votes. This marks their second time voting, as they also flew back for the last Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Both pursued Master of Science degrees abroad and have settled there for jobs, yet they returned due to their sense of duty towards their country, each spending Rs. 75,000 for a round trip dedicating more than 20 hours for each trip.
Sharing their insights, Pushkar Parag Bhide said, “This is my second election. My motivation for flying all the way back here is because Lok Sabha elections occur once every 5 years, allowing me to plan accordingly. I want to respect our right to vote and fulfill our duty towards our nation. In my Lok Sabha constituency of Pune, it seems that Murlidhar Mohol from the NDA is the favorite. My respect for our PM Modi is also high, which influenced my decision to fly back. Therefore, I hope he wins this election for the third time.”
Supriya Parag Bhide told Punekar News, “As I couldn’t find flights, I actually had to spend Rs. 1,00,000 for my round trip, but money doesn’t matter to me as long as I get to vote. I love my nation, and voting will make my country strong, so that’s what motivated me to fly back here. I belong to the Pune Lok Sabha constituency, and the triple threat match between Mohol, Dhangekar, and More is interesting, but I think Mohol will secure a win. PM Modi will winning the election for the third time with a majority.”
3) Umakant Tiwary – Muzaffarpur/Pimpri
Umakant Tiwary, the principal of Podar International School settled in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur for his job, and had plans to visit Goa for work. However, as the elections fell on the same date, rather than returning directly from Goa to Muzaffarpur, he made a detour to Pune via railway. He booked a flight ticket to Pune as it’s difficult to secure last-minute railway tickets during the summer holidays. He is scheduled to return tomorrow, having spent Rs. 50,000 for the round trip, dedicating more than two days to travel overall.
Speaking to Punekar News, he said, “I have been voting for the last 30 years, and I have lost track of how many times I’ve voted. Voting is a right; everyone should vote. Every opinion matters. People often speak for their rights but fail to vote. Therefore, everyone should vote. I even motivated the residents here to come and vote.”
