The heat of elections had a strong challenger on Thursday — fashion.

Voters upped the fashion quotient with cotton and linen ruling the circuits, err polling booths. White, as well as bright colours such as yellow, pink and orange, were some of the hot favourites. From youths to retired residents, everybody made sure they left a fashion statement back at the scene.

Hamid Hussain, a first-time voter spotted at Patna Women’s College, came in army-print cargos and a round-neck tee with the name of an English heavy metal band. His statement screamed suave. “I decided to keep it casual and cool. Our generation depicts nonchalance. The best way to stay cool in this scorching heat is to wear shorts. And after all, there is no dress code when you come to cast your vote,” said 18-year-old Hussain.

Girls gave the boys quite a stiff challenge when it came to be fashionable. From floral-print tees and colourful sneakers to oversized sunglasses, they exuded style.

Twenty-one-year-old Tanya, a resident of Kadamkuan voting at St Severin’s School, said: “Getting through a sunny day without an Aviator is impossible. I decided to keep my outfit casual and wore black jeggings and an asymmetrical top.

“Polling day needs to be fashionable,” she said with a smile.

Rita Kumar, a 35-year-old resident of Buddha Colony, kept it traditional while casting her vote at Patna Women’s College. “Summers are all about white. It would add extra flavour to the elections,” she said.

Some boys flaunted their light-coloured cotton kurtas with denims and leather flats. Siddharth, a 24-year-old resident of Kankerbagh, believes politics is all about a crisp kurta. He said: “Politics is synonymous with a kurta. I decided to keep it ‘politically correct’ by pairing a crisp kurta with denims.”

College teacher Satish Sharma, 42, voting at the Kankerbagh community hall, however, kept it formal. He said: “Exercising one’s franchise is all about maintaining discipline and rules and regulation. It is quite a formal event, so I opted for my formal shirt and linen trousers.”

The burqa also turned fashionable with girls wearing fancy or ornate veils with embroidery and decorative designs to the polling booths.

The elderly in the city kept to their traditional dress code. The women sported cotton saris and the men kurtas.

“Humlog purane aadmi hain. Chunaw ka matlab hi kurta-pyjama hai (We are old-timers. For us, elections mean kurta-pyjama),” said R.P Singh, a retired government officer voting at the government middle school in Sheikhpura.