Rahima Khatun, 84, cast her vote for the second time in her life, arriving at the polling centre in a wheelchair with memories, emotion and a quiet hope that good people would come to power.
She cast her vote at around 11:30am on Thursday at the Shahid Nagar City Corporation Girls’ High School polling centre in Lalkhan Bazar of the city.
After casting her ballot, Rahima recalled her first voting experience. “In 1986, my husband took me to vote. He held my hand and brought me to the centre. He is no longer alive. This time, my son, Wahid Murad brought me. He came all the way from Dhaka just to vote,” she said.
Family members wheeled Rahima Khatun into the polling centre. All five members of the family arrived together to cast their votes. While the others stood in queues to vote, Rahima waited calmly in her wheelchair.
Expressing satisfaction with the overall environment at the centre, she said, “I came with great difficulty, and it feels good to have cast my vote. If Allah wills, may good people be elected.”
Despite the burden of age and physical limitations, her presence at the polling centre to exercise her democratic right inspired many voters there. Family members said they had all come together to vote at her insistence.
Presence of voters at the centre under the Chattogram-10 (Khulshi–Double Mooring–Pahartali) constituency was noticeable from the morning and continued to increase as the day progressed.
By 11:30am, 770 votes had been cast across the 12 booths at the Shahid Nagar City Corporation Girls’ High School centre. The total number of voters at the centre is around 3,201.
Presiding Officer Shariful Islam said there had been no untoward incidents. “Voters have been casting their ballots in a festive atmosphere since morning. No complaints have been received so far,” he said.
