Bihar polls: Conjoined twins vote for the first time, but on one voter ID

Saba Shakeel and Farah Shakeel, conjoined twins from Bihar, cast their vote for the very first time in Patna in phase three of the Bihar Assembly Elections. “Conjoined twins Saba and Farah have cast their vote at a polling booth near their residence in Samanpura locality in Patna,” an official of the state Election Commission said. [caption id=“attachment_2487736” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Saba Shakeel and Farah Shakeel. IBNLive[/caption] The Election Commission of India issued the two 18-year-old sisters only one voter identity card with their names clubbed together and a wrong date of birth, reports India Today. However, officials told their elder brother Tamanna that they can cast their votes separately if their names had been entered separately in the electoral rolls. Saba and Farah were very happy after having exercised their right to franchise for the first time, according to Hindustan Times. They stated that they had “voted for development” and urged others eligible to vote to participate in the process. “We have voted as per our willingness to take part in formation of the next government,” they said. Three months ago, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar issued a direction to authorities to increase the twins’ monthly grant to Rs 20,000 from Rs 5,000 after they met him at his weekly janata darbar and submitted a petition. However, Hindustan Times quotes Tamanna as saying that Kumar is yet to give them the shop in Maurya Complex that they had been promised. Two years ago, the Supreme Court had ordered the Bihar government to take care of the twins’ medical expenses. The court’s direction came on a public interest litigation filed by Aarushi Dhasmana, a law student in Pune. Their father Shakeel Ahmad — who runs a small roadside eatery — said the grant would help the family take proper care of the twins. The Supreme Court in its order had ruled out surgery to separate the two sisters after doctors said the operation risked the life of one of them. With inputs from IANS