Lok Sabha polls: At 107\, Padma Shri Thimmakka casts her vote in Bengaluru

Lok Sabha polls: At 107, Padma Shri Thimmakka casts her vote in Bengaluru

Second phase of the Lok Sabha elections was held on Thursday in 95 parliamentary constituencies.

lok sabha elections Updated: Apr 18, 2019 17:39 IST
Saalurmarada Thimmakka, 107, emerging from a polling booth in Bengaluru after casting her vote in the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday.(ANI)

She started planting trees more than six decades ago for which she was awarded Padma Shri earlier this year. She has a US environmental organisation named after her. She is 107 and cast her vote on Thursday in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency.

Saalurmarada Thimmakka is an environmentalist, who is known for planting and tending to banyan trees along a four-kilometre stretch of highway between Hulikal and Kudur in Karnataka. Los Angeles-based Thimmakka’s Resources for Environmental Education is named after her.

‘Saalurmarada’ has been added to her name by people as a mark to her dedication for afforestation. The word translates into ‘a row of trees’ in Kannada, her native language.

Thimmakka was awarded the Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind in March at an investiture ceremony in the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

The Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency was one of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka that went to the polls on Thursday in the second phase of the national elections.

Thursday’s polling saw a large number of elderly people standing in queues and cast their votes. MS Swaminathan, the father of Indian green revolution, cast his vote in Chennai. Swaminathan is 93.

In Maharashtra’s Latur, 105-year-old Kavaibai Kamble cast her vote at a polling station in Harangul Budruk. Latur is one of the 10 parliamentary constituencies in Maharashtra where polling was held in the second phase.

In Jammu and Kashmir, an 80-year-old patient, Jogindero Devi, came from Kathua district hospital to the polling booth number 2 to cast her vote for Lok Sabha elections. She returned to the hospital after casting her vote.

In Karnataka’s Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency, a senior citizen couple, 91-year-old Shrinivas and 84-year-old Manjula, cast their votes at a polling booth in Jayanagar. It is the same area where Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier cast her vote.

In Bihar, 90-year-old voters, Urmila and Usha cast their votes at polling booth number 39 in Bhagalpur Lok Sabha constituency.

Polling was held in 95 Lok Sabha constituencies in the second phase of the parliamentary elections. The Lok Sabha elections will end with voting on May 19 in the seventh phase. Counting of votes for all 543 seats will take place on May 23.

First Published: Apr 18, 2019 17:39 IST