Thiruvananthapuram: Weeks of running between govt offices to update her address turned voting into a personal and informed decision for Rishal Dsouza, an IT professional based in Bengaluru who cast her first vote in Kerala this election. Hailing from Mangaluru, Rishal moved to Thiruvananthapuram after her marriage to Jijo Joseph in Dec last year. For Rishal, casting her first vote in Kerala was not just about participation, but about responding to lived experience and expectations of governance. As she began updating her address in key documents such as Aadhaar and other identification records, she found herself caught in a cycle of delays, repeated visits and unclear procedures. Rishal said the experience played a key role in shaping her voting choice, pushing her to support a system that prioritizes efficiency, accountability, and citizen-friendly services. “Just to change my address in Aadhaar, I had to keep going from one office to another for weeks.,” the 27-year-old said. In her opinion, the lack of coordination and clarity within govt offices made what should have been a routine process unnecessarily complicated. “I never expected to face this level of difficulty in Kerala. The system needs to be more transparent and streamlined. When basic services are this hard to access, it erodes people’s trust in governance,” she added. Her husband, Jijo Joseph, echoed her concerns, stressing the need for governance that respects both individual freedom and ease of access to services. “People need a govt that respects their freedom and makes systems easier to navigate,”he said.
