Vadodara: A Veteran’s Voting Woe
In Vadodara, the civic elections on Sunday were marked by disappointment for 86-year-old Dhiru Mistry, a pioneer in Indian election campaign filmmaking. His name was missing from the voters’ list, preventing him from casting his ballot.
Mistry, who lives in Bhayli, arrived at the polling station early to escape the heat, only to be told he couldn’t vote. “I’m very disappointed. It’s frustrating to come all this way and be told my name isn’t on the list,” he expressed.
This is the second time Mistry has faced this issue; he had a similar experience during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He noted that while his neighbors received their voter slips, he did not. “Officials visited our area but didn’t come to my house. I’m worried I might miss the next election as well,” he added.
Mistry’s background is significant. Back in 1971, he produced India’s first election campaign film for political candidate Maharaja Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad in Vadodara. “I explained to the Maharaja that he could reach around 2,000 people through meetings, but with a campaign film, he could reach 50,000 at once,” Mistry recalled.
Gaekwad found the idea appealing and provided an initial amount of Rs 2,500 for the project, which had an overall budget of Rs 5,000, contingent on his approval of the final film. The film was showcased in 12 theaters across Vadodara over a span of 10 days, striking a chord with voters. Following the success of this campaign, Gaekwad won the election, and Mistry received numerous offers for similar projects from other candidates.
Despite his illustrious past in electioneering, Mistry’s current struggle to vote highlights important issues regarding voter registration and accessibility.
