Name: Shilpa Mathuria

Age: 19 years

Occupation: Student of B Com (Hons) first year at Sree Agrasain College

Residence: Debendra Ganguli Road, Bataitala

How does it feel: I am really excited about voting for the first time. Now I feel like I have grown up and I am a citizen of my country. I have the power to make someone win in the elections.

My vote will make a difference. I was not feeling well in the morning, so I was not sure whether I would come but my family members told me that I should not let go of this opportunity.

I will be spending the rest of the day at home, watching TV. I don’t have to go for tuitions today as well, so it’s a complete holiday.

 

 

Name: Anwesha Chakraborty

Age: 18 years

Occupation: Just completed her ISC (science) exams

Residence: Sitanath Bose Lane, Salkia

How does it feel: I had always heard about elections and voting from my elders. I have obviously been following the political news on TV and in the newspapers but now I feel like I am also a part of it. It feels good to vote. We are catching a train to Darjeeling and Kalimpong in the evening. I am going with my parents and an aunt. The trip was planned in such a way that we could cast our vote before leaving. Whoever wins, the elected representative should try to focus on the problems of Howrah town.

 

 

Name: Payel Tambi

Age: 19 years

Occupation: Student of fashion designing

Residence: Chintamoni Dey Road

How it feels: Being a citizen of the country it feels good to be able to vote. This was the first time and I want to cast my vote every time. There are many problems in our country that need to be addressed, specially of women. Since it is a holiday today I will be spending the day with my family.

 

 

Name: Ankit Upadhyay

Age: 20 years

Occupation: Pursuing graduation and also preparing for civil service exams

Residence: Sitanath Bose Lane, Salkia

Occupation: I had gone for a trip to Agra with my friends but had planned to come back in time to cast my first vote in this election. I was really excited about it. Although this election involves national issues, being a resident of Howrah I feel that there are many problems starting from garbage disposal to narrow roads, encroachment and so on that plague this town. I hope the representative will try to address those.

 

 

Name: Soma Chatterjee

Age: 24 years

Occupation: Teacher

Residence: Salkia

How does it feel: I got my voter ID card this year only so I am casting my vote for the first time. I am feeling great after voting. At least now I also have an opportunity to exercise my democratic rights. I was missing this all these years. On the other side, it feels good to get a holiday from work. I plan to spend the whole day at home. I live in a joint family and since everyone will be spending the day at home today, we get to enjoy the day together.

 

 

Name: Rabina Singh

Age: 20 years

Residence: Jatadhari Park area

How does it feel: I was a little scared initially inside the booth because I did not know what to do. Now I am feeling relaxed because the people who were inside the booth were helpful. They realized that I had come to vote for the first time. The rest of the day will be a typical day for me, like all other days.

 

 

Name: Ayan Mondal

Age: 20 years

Occupation: Student of BSc (second year)

Residence: Swami Vivekananda Road

How does it feel:

I am very excited about voting for the first time. I feel like a responsible citizen. Whoever wins, I would want the representative to look into the water scarcity issue in Howrah. Residents of this town have been suffering from this issue for too long, specially during summer.

 

 

Name: Akash Kumar Pathak

Age: 18 years

Occupation: Student of B Tech, Civil engineering, first year, at Supreme Knowledge Foundation

Residence: Debendra Ganguli Road, Bataitala

How does it feel: I am feeling like a responsible citizen today. Till now I had heard my parents and elders talk about voting and elections, now I have experienced it as well. However, I want the condition of our country to change. I think we have been experiencing the same problems for too long. Whether it is price rise or employment or civic issues, the government needs to be more proactive.

Although it’s a holiday today, I still have to go for tuitions. After that I will be meeting up with friends at Rabindra Sadan.

 

 

Name: Harsha Sundaria

Age:19 years

Occupation: Student of Class XII at Agrasain Balika Siksha Sadan

Residence: Howrah Maidan

How it feels: It’s a great experience to vote for the first time. Living in Howrah town, I feel that communication is a big problem in this town. I hope construction of the East-West Metro is completed early so that we can travel faster to Calcutta.       

(Pictures by Anup Bhattacharya)