Age is no barrier: 110yo woman who took part in NEARLY ALL Indian elections, shows up again at New Delhi vote

The assembly elections in New Delhi are crucial to so many that even the oldest voter in the capital couldn’t resist throwing her weight behind one of the candidates, encouraging others to follow suit.

Among the millions of voters that will cast their ballots this Saturday in New Delhi, there is one that stands out, not just because of her age, but also her remarkable voting record. At 110, Kalitara Mandal is said to have taken part in almost all Indian elections throughout the 20th century. 

“I remember, they [polling officials] would take my thumb impression and then the ballot paper would be folded and put into boxes. I have voted with big machines (EVMs) too,” she told India’s PTI news agency.

But Mandal doesn’t want to miss the closely-watched assembly vote in the capital. She is “eager to get her finger inked,” her son Sukh Ranjan told local media.

The centenarian has encouraged others to “go out and vote,” as “democracy thrives on people and people must participate as each vote counts.”

Election officials have provided a special vehicle in order to help her to get to the polling station. All in all, there are as many as 132 voters over 100 years old in the capital – 68 men and 64 women – who are eligible to vote.

Saturday’s race is of crucial importance for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is trying to unseat the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which won 67 of the 70 seats in the assembly in 2015.

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