By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net
Kolkata/Coochbehar: The recent elections in West Bengal has seen thousands of youth vote for the first time, but for one person in the Coochbehar district of West Bengal, the moment has been worth the wait. Asgar Ali is a 106-year-old resident of Mashaldanga village and for the first time after Independence, he will be casting his vote.
Ali will join 9,776 other residents of this Indo-Bangladesh enclave to vote. There are 51 enclaves in Coochbehar, with Mashaldanga, under the Dinhata Constituency, being one of them.
Ali waited 68 years to get Indian citizenship. Ali, along with his family, came to Mashaldabga village from Mymensingh of Bangladesh to assist his father before Independence. However, his mother and brother returned to Bangladesh while Asgar Ali married in the Mashaldanga village and currently has five daughters and two sons.
When he received his election card in 2015, it was an emotional moment in his life. “I was an eyewitness of Independence, but never got any right since I was a resident of the enclave. There is no electricity even now, but I am happy that at least the residents have a chance to vote for the first time after Independence,” he said.
Asgar Ali also added that only when he sees electricity in his village, will he believe that they have achieved Independence. On May 5, Ali and Mashaldanga will vote along with 50 other enclaves to decide the fate of six Assembly constituencies: Mekhliganj, Shitalkuchi, Dinhata, Natabari, Sitai and Tufanganj.