C Shivakumar
Chennai:
Livelihood or Franchise! As
Chennaites were celebrating democracy on Thursday a few opted to work to earn
their livelihood rather than vote.
Although, it was declared a holiday
for nearly all the establishments, many hotels, shops, including vegetable
retail market and other commercial establishments remained open.
Koyambedu wholesale market wore a
desolate look. But then there were few retail vegetable sellers who kept their
shop open anticipating some business.
“These are perishable items. We have
to sell it or it will get spoiled,” said a shopkeeper, who preferred to carry
out his business, rather than cast his vote.
“I understand elections are equally
important but then livelihood is also equally important,” he said.
Most of those who avoided a visit to
polling booth were daily wage earners. A sugarcane vendor Murugan in Saligramam
said that during the summer he earns nearly Rs 400 a day. “I am keen to vote
but then I also have a family to support. I can’t sacrifice my Rs 400 to cast
my vote,” he said.
Similarly, Kannan, who used to pedal
his tricycle from Vadapalani to Koyambedu, opted not to forgo his daily wage of
Rs 200. Resting under a banyan tree, he says his day’s earning is more
important rather than casting his vote. “Nothing will change. All parties are
more or less the same,” he says.
Meanwhile, there was no respite from
work for Chennai Metro rail workers. A Metro rail spokesman said that though it
was a holiday they were working with a skeletal staff. “Most of the work is being
done underground involving tunnel boring machines. We posted skeletal staff to
carry out the task,” he said.
A few metro rail workers unmindful
of the elections were busy doing their chores. “What elections, it is work
here,” said a metro rail worker from Assam. “The election in my state was on
April 16. I don’t have money to go and vote,” he said.
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