Nonagenarian Baburao Akhade was among 41 eligible voters from the remote hamlet Burudmal under the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra who for the first time didn't have to trek 12 km to cast their votes, which was the case until the 2019 elections.
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Located 35 km away from Bhor town in Velhe tehsil of Pune district, Burudmal is the smallest polling station with 41 eligible voters under the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency. On Tuesday, the voters, including a first-timer, exercised their franchise, registering almost 100 per cent voter turnout.
"This has happened for the first time in our lifetime that a polling station has been set up near our houses here in Burudmal. Till the last elections, we all had to go on foot to Sangvi Velvade Khore (valley) to cast votes, which is almost 12 km from here," said 90-year-old Akhade, the senior-most voter among the flock.
But this time, a polling station was set up in a school, located just next to our houses, giving us much-required comfort in the scorching summer heat, he said.
A youngster, Mahesh Gore, said that this is the first time after independence that a polling station was established in the hamlet.
"Earlier, we used to trek and cross two rivers on a boat to reach the polling station, which was 12 km away. Voters, including senior citizens and women, used to find it difficult to get there. Considering all these hardships, we had appealed to the Sub-Divisional Officer, Bhor division, to set up a polling station. The administration acted swiftly. Today, 40 of the 41 voters exercised their franchise here," he said.
According to villagers, the population of Burudmal is 150 and most of the young residents work in Mumbai. "But more than 20 voters hired a bus from Maharashtra's capital city and reached Burudmal just to cast their votes," they said.
Priyanka Akhade, who works in Mumbai was part of the group. "I am voting for the first time. I am very fortunate that I could vote in the polling station in my village," she said.
Another voter, Laxman Akhade, said he was feeling very happy for his 90-year-old father who got the chance to cast his vote in his hamlet. "Since the government provided us the polling station, we showed our commitment by doing 100 per cent voting," he said.
Bhausaheb Turkunde, a lone teacher who works at the Zilla Parishad primary school in Burudmal, said the terrain is difficult. "Most of the times, people living here had to trek to nearby villages to bring goods but a motorable road has been built now," he said.
Rajendra Kachare, sub-divisional officer, said they were moved by the determination of villagers to participate in the voting process. "As per the guidance from our returning officer (for Baramati constituency) Kavita Dwivedi, a polling station was set up here. More than 95 per cent of voters cast their franchise at the polling station," he said.
