Wheelchair-bound supporter catches Sonia at polling booth

 His efforts of waiting in a wheelchair for more than two hours paid off as he finally caught a glimpse of Congress president Sonia Gandhi at a polling station here.

Ashok Nagpal, a resident of Patel Nagar in Delhi, had been waiting since early Thursday morning to greet Sonia at the Nirman Bhavan polling station where she normally casts her vote.

Though the security personnel prevented him from going near the polling station, Nagpal drew Sonia’s attention by waving orange lilies and the Tri-colour from the distance. Sonia noticed his gesture, asked her cavalcade to stop and rushed towards him to accept the bouquet.

In the last election too Nagpal had greeted Sonia with flowers. Later, the 42 year-old Nagpal told media persons that he was a long-time supporter of the Congress and had been going around in the city in his wheelchair asking people to vote for the party. Sonia was accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken, the Congress candidate from New Delhi, when she went to the polling booth.

Rahul votes

Gandhi family scion Rahul Gandhi cast his vote at a polling station at Aurangzeb Lane amid media frenzy, though he managed to find time to chat with fellow voters.

When the voters told him that he will make a good prime minister one day, he quipped: “Will see.”

The question was posed by voter Poonam Vasudevan who was ecstatic after shaking hands with Rahul. The 50-year-old woman, of course, did not know she would meet the Congress general secretary when she turned up to vote, though she was desperate to meet him.

Officials at the polling booth were asking Poonam and one of her neighbours, Jagmohan, to leave after they had voted when Gandhi walked in. Clad in white kurta-pyjama, Gandhi voted and walked up to the two and shook hands with Vasudevan.

Rahul’s sister Priyanka exercised her franchise at the Lodhi Estate. Speaking to reporters, she exuded confidence that the party’s performance would be better than the last election.

“I think there will be an improvement; at least that is what we hope,” she said.
Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, Priyanka came to the polling booth along with her husband Robert Vadra.