Conjoined twins Sabah and Farah from Bihar’s Patna cast their votes today as separate individuals with independent voting rights for the first time in India’s election history.
The 19-year-old sisters had earlier in 2015 assembly polls in Bihar cast their votes on a single voter identity card. This time, however, the twins were given the right to vote as a separate individual.
The twins enrolled in the electoral roll for Digha assembly under Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat which went on poll today i.e 7th phase of Lok Sabha Elections.
The twin sisters were photographed after the voting today
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Official Twitter account of Election Commission of India’s had earlier shared the twins’ touching story with their hashtag – #Chunavkikahaniyan. Now, the sisters have gone viral on social media for exercising their democratic rights.
District Magistrate-Patna told news agency that the sisters were treated as a single voter because of the rules of the secret ballot which prohibits a second individual to be present when another is casting his or her vote.
However, Sabah and Farah are conjoined in such a way that their heads are always turned in the opposite direction, thus making it impossible for one to check out the other’s voting activity.
The twin sisters were born in a poor family and they were treated several times at AIIMS, New Delhi. However, doctors were unsuccessful to separate them through surgery.
In the Patna Sahib seat, Congress’ Shatrughan Sinha is fighting with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.