Voter saddles buffalo, steals spotlight in Vaishali

Patna: So you thought the days are gone when people used to ride bullock carts for miles to cast their ballot.In 2025 too, some prefer animal rides over motorised or electric vehicles, or even foot, even as public transport is restricted on the day of election.One such person is Kedar Yadav, a resident of Bhagwanpur in Vaishali district, who caught everyone’s attention on Thursday as he took a buffalo ride to reach his booth.Clad in a black T-shirt and jeans, with a stick in one hand and election ID card in the other, Yadav rode a neat and clean buffalo adorned with a green cloth on its back and orange marigold garlands around its horns, probably wearing his preference on his sleeves.

“Vote girane jaa rahe hain (I am going to vote),” he said, adding that he would cover nearly 2km to reach his polling booth in Saidpur Dumri.While Yadav was happy and confident about his mode of transportation, he became the talk of the town on a election day, with passers-by could not help but giggle at the sight of him.A few women were also spotted behind Yadav, singing in Bhojpuri, urging people to vote. Citing the importance of voting in a democracy, Yadav said it was a “mahaparv (mega festival) like Chhath, and no one should miss voting”. “It is because of Baba Saheb Ambedkar's Constitution that all of us have voting rights, and we should exercise our franchise. People should use whatever mode of transportation they have.”