Thrikkakara bypoll: At 61, this former expat votes for first time

KOCHI: Reji C Joseph, a resident of Kakkanad, was perplexed and excited as he walked towards booth number 158 at Mar Athanasius School to cast his vote in the Thrikkakara assembly bypoll on Tuesday. He even expressed his doubts about casting his vote to the voters who had gathered in front of the polling station. Though he had watched the election procedure on television in the past, this was the first time he saw the entire voting procedure in real since he was casting his first vote in the 61 years of his life. 

“Since I had been working in the Gulf for several years, I couldn’t cast my vote. But a few months ago, I retired from my job and decided to settle in Kochi. It is really exciting to cast my first vote,” said Reji Joseph.

He said it was Covid that actually helped him cast his first vote. “A couple of months back, I was infected with Covid and I was forced to cancel my flight ticket and reschedule my trip for more than a month. During the same period, I moved the papers to get my election ID card and also include my name in the voters’ list. To my luck, I was back when the BLO visited my house to verify the details. That helped me ensure my name figured in the voters’ list. Had I not been infected with the virus, I might have missed the opportunity this time also,” he said, adding that he received the voter ID card a few weeks ago.