Duty first: Seven grooms cast vote before getting hitched

NAGPUR: Even as many voters in Nagpur did not exercise their franchise the first phase of polling in Maharashtra as they had to attend marriage functions on April 11, seven grooms in Amravati, Akola and Buldhana Lok Sabha constituencies cast their votes before leaving for their wedding venues on Thursday.
There were three grooms from Akola constituency who cast their vote first.
Pravin Amte of Telhara town had to go to Jalgaon for his marriage. However, he first went to the polling booth in his wedding dress. Amte was welcomed by election staffers.
Amte was in a hurry to leave for Jalgaon but he went to the polling station early and cast his vote. “Voting is a national duty and I am only doing it,” said Amte.
Umesh Khumarkar of Belkhed village and Ashish Bhopale of Hiwarkhed village, both in Akola constituency, also cast their votes before leaving for the wedding venue. Khumarkar also had to leave for Bodwad village in Jalgaon district.
About a hundred of his family members and friends also cast their votes before leaving for Bodwad.
Three grooms in Amravati seat too voted before marrying. At Mozari, Dinesh Shelke cast his vote before attending his wedding while at Radhanagar. Prasad Mundekar did the same and at Bhandaraj in Anjangaon Surji tehsil and Santosh Chikte followed suit.
Another groom Vivek Mahakale of Ekta Nagar, Buldhana, was also conscious of his national duty. He cast his vote early in the morning wearing the groom’s dress. He was welcomed by polling officials. Many residents of Buldhana hailed Mahakale for his act.
While talking to the local media, Mahakale said, “The Constitution of India has given the right to vote to every citizen and we must exercise it. I have done nothing special, but just performed my national duty.”
Other grooms in rural and semi-urban areas of Vidarbha had exercised their franchise before getting married. However, no such case was reported from Nagpur constituency.
According to politicians from main national parties — BJP and Congress — the voting percentage (55%) in the city was lower than 2014 (57%) because there were a large number of weddings on the day of polling, i.e. April 11 and hence people skipped voting.