Lok Sabha Elections Phase 2: Man Returns From Germany To Cast Vote In Noida

Noida: A German worker, Abhik Arya, successfully reached Noida in time to cast his vote in the Lok Sabha election on Friday. Abhik joined the thousands of other voters in Gautam Buddh Nagar. 

Arya works in the hotel industry and has lived in Munich for the past seven years. He said he purposefully scheduled his trip to coincide with the election, returning home after nearly eighteen months away. 

On Friday afternoon, Arya, a resident of Sector 31 in Noida, together with his sisters Abhisha (33) and Ankita (35) went to the Saraswati Balika Vidya Mandir to cast their ballots. “I have been living in Germany for work for the last seven years. I landed in Delhi around 7 am. When I was planning my vacation and travel home in India, I knew the elections were also around the corner so I had planned my schedule accordingly,” Arya told PTI.

“I came home today and coordinated with my sisters so that we do not miss out on voting as a responsible citizen and to keep up the positive trend and to do our bit,” Arya said.

He said he hoped that his story would encourage others to participate in the electoral process. Abhisha, who works in the financial sector, said she was a first-time voter and the overall development of the country was among the key issues for her.

Ankita, who is self-employed, said the lack of employment opportunities in the country concerned her. Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha constituency is spread across assembly segments of Noida, Dadri, Jewar, Khurja and Sikandrabad. Of these, Sikandrabad and Khujra geographically fall in the adjoining Bulandshahr district but are part of the Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency. 

He expressed his hope that by sharing his experience, others might be inspired to take part in the democratic process. Working in the banking industry, Abhisha stated that she was a first-time voter and that one of her main concerns was the nation’s general development. Ankita, a self-employed woman, expressed concern about the dearth of job prospects in the nation.

According to the data, the constituency’s voting turnout has continuously been below the national average, which was 67.40% in 2019, 66% in 2014, and 58% in 2009. As to the official data, the constituency’s voter turnout stood at 51.60 percent until 5 pm, whereas the Noida segment recorded 45.69 percent.