Team News Riveting
Chennai, April 6
Meet Marappa Gounder, a 105-year-old farmer from Karupparayanpalayam near Coimbatore, who had the privilege to cast his vote in every election that Tamil Nadu had.
Marappa Gounder was born in 1916 in Karupparayanpalayam of Coimbatore district. He has been a regular voter since 1952, when Tamil Nadu (as Madras state) elected its first-ever government. Urging citizens to exercise their right to vote, he said that he has voted for those who will do good for the people.
As the centenarian turned up at the polling booth to exercise his franchise, he became the centre of attraction for the people and also the election officials. On Tuesday, Marappa Gounder walked to the Corporation Elementary School at Karupparayanpalayam, around 300 metres from his house, and cast his vote.
According to Gounder, he had been casting his vote in the booth and it has been the practice for him in every election, the routine did not change this assembly election too.
This was the reason when election officials visited his house to hand out the consent form for postal voting, he humbly refused it.
