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Polls on V-Day irk Tripura youngsters [Guwahati] [Times of India](Times of India Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) AGARTALA: As Tripura's assembly elections draw near, 25-year-old Rana Ghosh gets increasingly restless. Rana, who works in a private telecom company in the state capital, would have been happy had the Chief Election Commissioner fixed a day other than February 14 for the polls. Rana has been in love for a year now and wanted to take his girlfriend out on February 14, which is Valentine's Day. Most shops and restaurants will be closed that day. And so Rana has to do away with the thought of buying his love a gift and taking her out for lunch. Besides, there will be very few vehicles on roads. Like Rana, hundreds of lovers are disappointed at the ECI's decision. Polling is an important day in Tripura's calendar. Everyone takes it very seriously. "We celebrate the voting day because every establishment remains closed on that day. After casting our vote, we take part in discussions and debates about the next government, who will win and who will lose," said a senior voter. But those who are in love have lost interest in the elections because of the date coinciding with Cupid's day. But in previous elections, they have been very proactive. Of the 23.52 lakh voters, over 50,000 are young. About 53,580 alone are below 19 years. Equally dejected is 23-year-old Binoy Mazumdar, who has never missed a date with his girlfriend on V-Day in the past five years that he has known her. "We will not only miss Valentine's Day but also Saraswati Puja the next day," said Binoy. Supratim, who studies in Delhi and loves a girl in Agartala, has planned to meet his love on February 13. "Meeting your loved one on February 14 is something entirely different," said Supratim. Even restaurant owners are dejected at the prospect of losing business on poll day. "Youngsters just keep dropping in at my restaurant on Valentine's Day. I make a lot of money, but this year, business will be poor," said a restaurant owner. (c) 2013 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited |