BENGALURU: At 106 years, Prof G Venkatsubbiah, a resident of Jayanagar, is looking forward to cast his vote on April 18. This will be his 17th General Election since 1951. He is one of the 5,579 centenarians in the state who are eligible to vote and will be casting their votes in the forthcoming Lok Sabha poll.

Unlike most first-time voters, Prof GV was not 18, when he cast his vote for the first time. He was 38 when he voted in the General Election of 1951 and then again, in the same year, for the then Mysuru state assembly elections. “I haven’t missed a single election since then — Lok Sabha polls, assembly polls or even corporation elections. I have also voted for teachers’ constituency during the MLC elections,’’ he said.

Reminiscing the election fever during his youth, the Prof said, those days, campaigning was done at places where more people gathered. “Although I do not remember which year and which candidate, there were days when two candidates contesting against each other would campaign from the same rooftop at Gandhi Bazaar. There was no mud-slinging like it is now. They would talk and debate on issues,’’ he recalled.

Being a voter who has not missed a single election, the Prof plans to ensure that all his neighbours and others go to the polling station on April 18. For the past many elections, he has been going to the polling station with the help of his son Arun.

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Padma Shri awardee Saalumarada Thimmakka is a voter of Hulikal village of Magadi taluk in Ramanagara district. She stays with her adopted son at Bengaluru. Her son Umesh said, “Thimmakka has voted in every election. Last year, we were at Belur to attend some pooja, which is some 200 km from her polling station. It was a lot of distance for her to cover, and given her age, it wasn’t advisable too. However, she did not let it stop her and made sure that she travelled all the way and voted.’’

Freedom fighter HS Doreswamy, who turned 100 last year, is also one of the prominent persons to be voting in Bengaluru. Karnataka has 1.48 lakh voters, who are over 90 years and 5,579 who have crossed 100. Interestingly, most of the centenarian voters live in Mysuru, Belagavi and Tumakuru. One of the senior officials from the Chief Electoral Office said they have made arrangements for wheelchairs and other facilities to help senior citizens.

These voters need not have to stand in queues, and they would be allowed to vote first. “In spite of the difficulties they face, these senior citizens show more enthusiasm in casting votes than the young voters. They vote in large numbers,’’ the official said.