Two newly married couples turn up for voting

Coimbatore, May 16  

Keen not to miss their democratic duty despite entering into wedlock today, two couples in their marriage attire turned up to cast their votes in the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

The couples wearing garlands and traditional wedding attire arrived in the polling booths here and neighbouring Tirupur District immediately after their marriage, officials said.

Karthi and Dharani came to the booth in Kaundampalayam in the city wearing garlands and traditional wedding costume, stood in the queue and cast their votes.

In Tirupur, Karthikeyan whose marriage with Sudha was held early today turned up at the booth in Mudalampudur and cast his vote.

However, his wife could not exercise the franchise as she was not enrolled in the voters list in the area.

In Kerala, another couple - Nagarajan and his bride Vidya - who got married this afternoon, soon left to vote at a polling station in Thiruvananthapuram.

Neither the slight drizzle nor the scheduled wedding ceremonies deterred them from casting their vote.

“Wedding is an important milestone in our lives and voting is equally important,” they said.

The bride came to the polling station in all her bridal finery as other voters and shutterbugs clicked.

Another young bride in Kottayam, a first time voter, Anu, came to the polling booth with her mother in tow and cast her vote at a booth in the central Travancore district shortly before her wedding.

The 25-year-old bride said she was very happy and excited to cast her maiden vote.

Young and old had queued up to vote since early morning, some of them braving drizzle in some places.

Some elderly voters were seen being carried to the voting stations in makeshift dollies.

In Kochi, catholic Nuns were among the early voters.

Major Archbishop of Syro Malabar church Cardinal George Alamchery exercised his franchise at a booth in Kochi, while in the state capital Major Archbishop Soosai Pakiam of the Latin archdiocese were among those who exercised their franchise in the state early itself. — PTI