Kolkata: A physician who lives in Paris but visits Kolkata with his family at least once a year, has flown down to vote on Wednesday. A firm believer in the paradox ‘change is the only constant’, he voted for a change in 2011 when the Trinamool won a decisive mandate to overthrow the Left govt that was in office for 34 years.The doctor, who did not wish to be named in the current polarised atmosphere lest his comments are viewed in favour or against either TMC or BJP that can cause problems for him or his family in his future trips to the city, had ensured that his cousin in Kolkata submitted the SIR form when the exercise got underway last year. “My name was on the 2002 voter list. So I did not have to do much except fill up the form. Since I was in Paris, my cousin did the needful and it was accepted. Had my name figured in the adjudication list, I might have had to come down to present my credential. But luckily that did not happen,” he recounted on reaching Kolkata after flying in from Paris on Monday for the vote scheduled on Wednesday. He is booked to fly back on Saturday.For the MD (Doctor of Medicine), the worry that was bigger than SIR was flying across the Gulf. Had the conflict reignited and led to flight disruptions, his plans would have gone haywire. But luckily again, the ceasefire has allowed him to fly in via Dubai. “I am hoping the conditions set by Iran do not scupper the ceasefire and I am able to return home without getting stranded,” he said, shuddering at the recall of how fights between India and Europe had gone haywire in the first few weeks of the conflict and fares had gone through the roof.Married to a Parisian, settled in the French capital for more than two decades, he had also flew down to vote in the 2011 elections that saw Mamata Banerjee storm to power, ending the Left Front govt’s rule. “I have retained my Indian citizenship and am proud to participate in the democratic process. I was excited to be part of the historic election in 2011 that saw the end of the Left Front. I am looking forward to again being a part of an election that will create history,” he said without revealing his cards.
