A representative image of a person getting his finger inked after casting his vote.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thane: Vithabai Patil made heads turn when she approached a polling booth in Thane city on Wednesday accompanied by her large family comprising daughters-in-law and grandchildren.
The grand old lady, aged 113, carried the air of a celebrity as she walked erect, showing no signs of her advanced age.
Patil arrived at a local school in Koprigaon in an autorickshaw to cast her vote. She was accompanied by her sons, six daughters-in-law, and grandchildren.
The entire family, totalling 30 members, exercised their franchise in the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency where Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde is in the fray.
With no history of diabetes, high blood pressure, or the need for corrective eyewear, Patil maintained a sharp memory throughout her life, her son Sharad Patil said.
"My mother's active involvement in the election process was a testament to her vibrant spirit and her importance as the matriarch of a large, multi-generational family," he added.
A video of Vithabai Patil arriving at the polling booth and casting her vote has gone viral.
Voting for all 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra was held on Wednesday.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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