Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is likely to skip voting in the upcoming Assembly polls but ace archer Deepika Kumari would not. Both Ranchi based international players are brand ambassadors of the Election Commission.
Sources attribute Dhoni’s possible absence to the two month long Australia tour for which Indian team is scheduled to depart before December 9, when the polls are scheduled at the state capital. A test match is to be held on December 9 in Australia.
Deepika however has expressed her desire to vote on the same date. Presently, the archer is undergoing training at a one month long physical fitness camp at Bengaluru that commenced on November 11. “I will book my ticket to my hometown as soon as possible so that I can cast my vote in the assembly elections. Casting vote is a priority,” she told The Pioneer in a telephonic conversation on Friday.
Interestingly enough, the ECI brand Ambassador was not aware about the polling date. “Please tell me the exact polling date. Can you repeat the date againIJ” she asked. Deepika is enrolled as voter at booth number 29 in Ratu Chatti while Dhoni is registered for the same at booth number 322 in Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali.
Both Dhoni and Deepika are voters of Hatia Assembly constituency adjacent to Ranchi. Kumari had cast her vote in lok Sabha polls as well held in the month of April along with her father Shivnarayan Mahato and Geeta Mahato in a short trip from Tata Archery Academy, her training institute exclusively for voting. Dhoni, on the other hand, had missed his vote as he was in United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Indian Premiere league. His family members had however ensured their presence.
State chief electoral officer PK Jajoria said, “Voting is a personal choice” when asked whether both have confirmed their presence for the assembly polls. “We are not authorized to talk to these players. It is their right and they should themselves vote,” Jajoria said.