Weddings take backseat on polling day

Vadodara: It was the most important day in the life of 23-year-old Yogesh Solanki who was going to get married. But Solanki, a resident of Sadha village of Padra taluka, made sure that every guest in his wedding procession cast their vote before the procession reached the marriage venue.
The groom and the wedding party of around 150 persons took the procession to the village primary school where they all were registered votes. Solanki made sure that all guests exercised their franchise and only after that the procession went ahead to the marriage venue at Sokhda near Vadodara city.

“Election is as big an event like a wedding because we decide the future and development course of the country. So it was important that we all voted before my wedding,” said Solanki.

At Borsad too, a couple which was going to tie the nuptial knot on Tuesday evening reached the polling booth before their marriage. Dressed in traditional attire, Gaurav Patel, a resident of Dhartinagar society in Borsad town reached the polling booth along with his to-be wife Nirali soon after the ‘haldi’ ceremony got over at their respective residences.

In Chhota Udepur, Shraddha Gupta cast her vote at taluka school number 1 before her wedding ceremony. Gupta said that she wanted to exercise her right before getting married away in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.

Sunil Rathod from Ramnath village in Kalol taluka went to the polling booth with drums with his relatives in tow. He cast his vote and only then proceeded to the wedding venue. He said that voting was a duty of all and hence he decided to vote before getting married.