She became Punjab's first woman polling agents, manning the booth for Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, much of whose cadre had failed to turn up out of fear of the muscle power of the entrenched opposition parties.
"My father promised AAP members that I will stand by them," Kaur told ET.
Kaur's father Sardar Gurnam Singh, who is undergoing treatment for prolonged illness, drove her at 5:15 am to the polling station, where she diligently performed her duty till the last vote was cast at 8:30 pm.
In her village, where nobody dared cross the Akalis or the Congress, many are now queuing up to confess to her that they voted for AAP candidate Bhagwant Mann, she said. But the teenager is unimpressed.
"Nobody stood by me yesterday but now everyone is thanking me for taking the right decision. They tell me that they were scared of Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress but have voted for AAP," Kaur told ET on the phone, recounting how she had been branded foolish for taking up a task for which she was told she would face the consequences.
"Why are they so scared of the Akalis and the Congress? What have they done for our village?" she asked.
When AAP supporters came to Bharaj to campaign for Mann a week ago, they explained their predicament. A polling agent acts as a necessary watchdog to keep a check on manipulation during voting and the party was finding it difficult to get volunteers.
"My father is unwell but still he took me to the polling station," said the proud second-year BA student from Government College for Girls, Patiala. In fact, two of her male counterparts who had also volunteered never turned up. Kaur was clueless about her duties but after consulting family members in Patiala, performed them to the hilt.
"My father is unwell but still he took me to the polling station," said the proud second-year BA student from Government College for Girls, Patiala. In fact, two of her male counterparts who had also volunteered never turned up. Kaur was clueless about her duties but after consulting family members in Patiala, performed them to the hilt.
The above is from ET of 02.05.2014
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