Election 2008

<i>Hiralal can't see symbol at 105, yet he casts vote</i>

29 December 2008, 18:00 PM

Pinaki Roy, from Khulna

Aided by grandson Chandan, Hiralal Mallik entered Townghona Primary School polling centre in Dumuria upazila with very feeble steps. The presiding officer handed him a ballot paper and seal. But Hiralal's eyesight is too weak to identify the election symbols on ballot paper. “Can you vote by yourself?” the presiding officer asked him. “No,” Hiralal said. Then he requested his grandson to put the seal on his desired symbol on behalf of him. This correspondent approached Hiralal to ask him, “How old are you? “I am 105. May be I would not be able to vote anymore in this life,” said Hiralal as tears rolled down his cheeks. Awami League leader Narayan Chandra Chanda and Jamaat leader Mia Golam Parwar are contestants for this constituency.