A woman casts her vote as others wait for their turn at a polling booth in New Delhi.
21-year-old Abhishek Kumar rushed out of the polling booth in Laxminagar constituency with a broad grin and called up his friend immediately to tell him that he has cast his vote. The excitement of Kumar, a B Tech student, was palatable as that of many others first-timers who cast their votes in Delhi Assembly polls today.
According to the Chief Electoral Office, there are around 4.05 lakh first time voters enrolled in the electoral list this year.
"I have voted for the first time. I want to make an impact. We want a corruption-free Delhi," Kumar said. Like Kumar, many first time voters celebrated the occasion by flashing their fingers marked with the indelible ink.
Most of them said they were concerned about corruption as well as price rise and rising electricity bills, which were affecting household budgets.
For 23-year-old Trilokpuri resident, Dilbar Kumar, it was an opportunity he had been waiting for since he got his voter ID. Adil Ansari, a 20-year old student from Gandhinagar constituency, who had come with his parents and sister to cast his vote, said, "I was looking forward to this day. It makes you feel empowered."
20-year Reena Kumar's brother Pintu waited impatiently for her to come out of the polling booth. "She is excited as she is voting for the first time. I hope she makes the right decision," he said.
Siblings Prince and Himanshi Sharma from Shahadara also cast their vote today. "The inflation and the rising electricity bill are a serious concern. During the summers last year, we could not meet household expenses due to high electricity bills. Vegetable prices are rising day by day. How will people survive and manage?" Himanshi a post graduate student said.
Monika and Manish Goyal, a couple from Rajasthan, got their names registered in Delhi electoral list and voted for the first time in Krishnanagar constituency.