100-yr-old Kashi man’s pledge: A voter till I die

Varanasi: The onslaught of years might not have been very kind to his health, but for educationist Kailash Chandra Bharadwaj, who turned 100 on Saturday, age has never been deterrent when it came to fulfilling his duty towards the nation.
A registered voter, he cast a vote for the first time in 1951 — when the first Lok Sabha election was held in India — and has not missed out on a single poll since then. Decades later, his determination to vote remains unaffected by factors like old age or ill health.
As his four sons and their families got together to celebrate Bharadwaj’s birthday on Saturday at his house in Girinagar locality of Birdopur area, the centenarian said he wanted to people come out in huge numbers to vote during the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency, goes to polls on May 19 in the seventh phase of the general elections. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Varanasi recorded 58.35% polling.
Wearing a blue shirt and a saffron-coloured turban, Bharadwaj cut a cake to mark his birthday, as his family members cheered on. Even his birthday cake sported an appeal for voters: Aao 100% matdaan karein (Come, let’s ensure for 100% polling). “This time, I’ve pledged to ensure that all 25 voters in my family go out and vote,” said Bharadwaj, whose family comprises 40 members.
A retired principal of Arya Mahila College, Bharadwaj’s wife Laxmi (95) would be accompanying him to the poll booth on the day of voting. Referring to the elections as the ‘biggest festival for a democracy’, the 100-year-old educator said every voter should participate in this festival to ensure that the country gets a strong and stable government.
“Hamara pura parivar 19 May ko vote dalane ek saath jayega. Meri Kashi vasiyon se appeal hai ki who bhi shat-pratishat matdaan mein bhagidar bane (All members of my family will go together to cast their votes. I would like to appeal Varanasi residents to ensure that the city records 100% polling).”
His son Avinash Chandra said the family’s adults would accompany his father to the booth on polling day.
“As per my father’s wish, we all will go together to cast our votes on polling day,” said Avinash, who is an income tax lawyer.
He also said that the entire family gets together at the patriarch’s house in Birdopur during every election to exercise their right to vote.