Political differences aside, they came united to vote

NEW DELHI: Anisha Kocchar and her six family members came together to cast their

vote

in the afternoon in west Delhi’s Hari Nagar, but none of them knew who each had voted for. “Like every family, we discuss whom to vote for. But at the end of the day our own opinions count. It’s a possibility that we voted for the three main parties,” said Kocchar.


On Sunday, TOI found several such

families

who had come together to cast their votes, but picked different parties.

Sanjana Singh, a 21-year-old first-time voter from Janakpuri, said though she consulted her parents about whom to vote for, she cast her franchise for the party who she thinks can provide safety to girls like her. “I don’t have a clue about whom my parents are voting for,” she added. Her mother, Jyoti, said, “She knows the negative and positive aspects of each political party. It’s good that she has a political opinion.”

In New Delhi constituency, siblings Sunanda and Sudarshan Bhandari came together to vote at Modern School, Barakhamba Road. However, they voted for different parties, one going for micro-level issues and the other giving importance to national outlook.

“I voted for

AAP

because it has worked for Delhi. Only nationalism cannot run the country. Ground-level work is needed for development,” Sunanda said. Her brother chose BJP. He felt the country needs a strong leadership to progress.

At Shahpur Jat, Manoj Sharma and his wife were divided in their decision. While he voted for Congress candidate Ajay Maken, his wife voted for BJP. “Maken has been our MP for 10 years. We have seen his work. Even though he was not an MP, he continued to visit the area,” Sharma said.

The Dhiman family was seen going towards the polling station in Laxmi Nagar chatting excitedly. However, their talks were not political as the family members were secretive about whom they would be voting for. “I’m voting for the first time and am super excited about exercising my franchise,” said 27-year-old Sahiba Dhiman.

“We can only guess who the other person will be voting for as we all have different views about the political parties,” said Vibhav Dhiman. Their parents, Lalita and Surendra, gave a bemused look as the youngsters discussed what they wanted from their elected representatives.

Munni Devi’s children wanted a change and weren’t inclined towards the traditional parties like their elders. Pooja (18) and Abhishek (21), both first-time voters, were vocal about their political views. “I want development in my constituency and better educational opportunities for youngsters. I voted for the candidate who I thought would deliver that,” said Pooja.

However, three generations of the Sehgal family — Dr CL Sehgal (91), his son Ajay (63), daughter-in-law Sunita (60) and grandchildren Prerna (35) and Nitish (29) — who had come to cast their vote at ASN Senior Secondary School in Mayur Vihar Extension, had reached a consensus about supporting a single party. “We all voted for one party which we think can bring development to the country,” Sunita said.