Centenarian Thresiamma of Kannur is delighted to have finally cast her maiden vote at Kannur in the 2016 Kerala assembly polls that were held on Monday.
She felt as excited as the 20-somethings who rushed to polling booths to exercise their franchise for the very first time which in Thresiamma’s case literally happened once in 100 years.
Tied down by family responsibilities, claiming her voting rights in a democracy did not figure high in her list of priorities. It was only when she neared the century mark that it occurred to her maybe it was now time to actually go and vote.
And the news was received gladly by not just her family members, but also the district officials who lost no time in making her the poll mascot for Kannur. District collector Bala Kiran himself handed over the voter ID card to her on her birthday a couple of weeks ago. She is said to have cast her vote at around 12 in the noon in a booth close to her home.