Polls beat nuptials to 2nd place

AHMEDABAD: When Rakesh Vyas''s marriage procession leaves his Ranip residence at 9 am on Thursday, it will not head straight for the bride''s home in Dholka. A halt is planned at the nearest polling booth where Vyas, in all his finery, will first cast his precious vote!
"Marriage is a once in a lifetime affair, but so are these elections. Deciding the future of the state is as important as securing my future," says Vyas.
But will all ''dulhas'' and ''dulhans'' share Vyas''s zeal, and not give polling booths a miss? Will the ''shehnai'' drown out the beep of electronic voting machines (EVMs) as Gujarat goes to polls on Thursday? With an estimated 15,000-20,000 marriages scheduled to be solemnised across the state on polling day, the fear of losing votes to weddings haunts political parties.
In CM Narendra Modi''s constituency Maninagar, where 150 marriages are planned, BJP workers have already contacted families and got a commitment that they will first exercise their franchise and then go ahead with the wedding rituals and celebrations!
Campaign manager Kamlesh Patel admitted that marriages would affect the poll schedule, and said BJP workers have been assigned duties to reach out to marriage halls and party plots in their areas and persuade ''baraatis'' to visit the nearest polling booth and cast their votes before the deadline of 5 pm.
Some grooms, however, told TNN they are equally committed to casting their vote as they are about exchanging vows! Urvish Sanghvi, a businessman from Sabarmati, who is all set to tie the knot on election day, is firm that the hectic rituals will in no way be used as an excuse to shy away from exercising his franchise.
"The future of the state and the nation will be determined by the outcome of the Gujarat elections. These elections are extremely crucial, and the situation demands that each of us votes as a responsible citizen," Urvish''s father Indubhai Sanghvi told TNN. Sanghvi asserted that every member of his family will vote.
In Vadodara, former mayor Rajendrasinh Rathore, whose daughter is to get married on Thursday, has changed the timing of the wedding ceremony from the morning to the evening to honour the slogan — ''Pehle matdaan, pachhi kanyadaan''.
"I know the value of voting, and wanted to ensure that my family, friends and relatives do not stay away from polling on account of the marriage," says Rathore.
Even marriage pandits are planning to spare a few minutes for casting their ballot in between hopping from one hall to another! Says maharaj Kaushik Shukla of Naranpura, who is all set to solemnise three marriages on Thursday, "If all are going to vote with a vengeance this time, it becomes my duty not to miss taking part in this make-or-break election."
Amit Rajpal is a bridegroom who is eager to vote, but is bound by rituals till the marriage ceremony is complete. "I had come to Ahmedabad from Muscat for the wedding and was hoping to cast my vote, but will not be able to do so because of the tradition of not going out of the house after the turmeric-smearing ceremony has taken place. But I have insisted that my entire family goes and casts its vote first thing in the morning," Rajpal, a resident of the Gurukul area of Ahmedabad told TNN.
Rajiv Jhala, an architect from Jamnagar, is also unhappy that the timing of his wedding will keep him away from exercising his franchise. "My ''baraat'' will leave for Rajkot at 7 am. Bad luck!" quipped Jhala.