Unusual Voter Names in Madhya Pradesh: The Fascinating Story of Dry Fruit Democracy

In most areas, voters arrive at polling stations with their identification cards. However, in two specific polling stations located in the Agar Malwa district of Madhya Pradesh, voters come with a truly diverse array of names. Don't be surprised to find electoral rolls that read like film posters, dry fruit packages, or even tourism brochures for Madhya Pradesh.

Polling stations 93 and 94 in Agar Malwa and its neighboring villages feature voters with names such as Kaju (cashew), Badam (almond), Pista (pistachio), TV, Antenna, and even cities like Burhanpur and Sarangpur. Right alongside these unusual names are familiar Bollywood references like Soldier, Pardesi, Kranti, Desh Premi, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Jitendra, Dilip Kumar, and Hema Malini.

If names could determine election outcomes, this constituency would certainly be a blockbuster.

Behind this quirky list lies the story of the Pardhi community, who have maintained a nomadic lifestyle for generations. Due to their constant movement, parents often name their children after whatever is prominent around them at the time of birth – sometimes it's the film playing at the nearest tent cinema, sometimes the city they're passing through, or even the snack they happen to be eating.

"Madhuri Dixit, Jitendra Dixit, Pyaaz Bai, Sarangpur Bai, Hema Malini... these names felt strange initially, but now I've memorized them all," laughs booth level officer (BLO) Santosh Jaiswal, who has been managing voter duties since 2006. "I've completed so many forms that Bollywood might consider hiring me as their casting director."

Another BLO shares his daily surprises: "We have Kaju Singh, Sunny Deol, Sherni Bai, Sher Khan... when I first joined, I thought someone was playing a prank. But now, these names have become routine for me."

A local voter named Desh Premi proudly explains the origin of his unique name: "My father watched a film on the day I was born. He was impressed by both the hero and the storyline... so he named me Desh Premi. Many in our community are named after heroes and heroines – Soldier, Rajkumar, Pardesi."

With the ongoing month-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls that commenced on November 4, BLOs are digitizing the details of 5.74 crore electors across 230 assembly constituencies, supported by an extensive workforce of 65,014 BLOs. Despite the unusual names, the process runs smoothly. The BLOs confirm that documents match correctly, identities are properly verified, and voter IDs are generated without any complications.

In a democracy where names typically reflect caste, lineage, or deities, Agar Malwa's voter list stands out distinctively – a place where Bollywood blockbusters, dry fruits, cities, and television antennas all line up for the same ink mark on their finger.

Because in the world's largest democracy, what significance does a name hold? What matters is that every vote counts.