Calcutta News: Difficulties of families who went to help in voting

West Bengal. Many families are facing a tough time as their domestic helps and cooks are going on leave to exercise their franchise on Saturday. West Bengal will go to polls in Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jayanagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata North and Kolkata South in the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections on Saturday.

Many centres that provide attendants and nannies said they would not be able to make any available before Monday.Families with elderly and ailing members said they were waiting for the polling process to end as soon as possible. Some of these caretakers and helpers who came on Friday informed their employers before leaving that they would not be able to return before Monday. Some others said they would return on Wednesday, a day after the Lok Sabha results are announced.

Snigdha Chatterjee, a resident of New Alipore and working in a private bank, said, “Our cook left on Friday saying she will return on Tuesday. I have ailing parents at home and the family is completely dependent on them. We have to find alternative ways to arrange food.” Chatterjee said her cook hails from Jaynagar in South 24-Parganas.

… “If no help comes on Monday, either I or my wife will have to take leave. My father is ailing and needs round-the-clock care,” said IT employee Sanjay Ghosh Dastidar.

His wife works in an FMCG company.

Some private security guards working in malls across the city said they had informed their employers about their leave on Saturday and said they would be available from Sunday.

“I have to return to Khardah to cast my vote,” said Shyamal Das, a security guard working in a mall in south Kolkata. I have requested my manager to give me leave for today.”