In most parts of India, voters go to polling booths with their identity cards to cast their vote. But in two polling stations in Agar Malwa district, Madhya Pradesh, things are a little different. Here, the electoral roll looks like a mix of unusual and surprising names. Don’t be shocked if you find names that sound like movie titles, snack packets, or even cities.

Polling stations 93 and 94, along with neighbouring villages, have voters named after all kinds of things. There are names like Kaju (cashew), Badam (almond), Pista (pistachio), TV, Antenna, and even cities like Burhanpur and Sarangpur. Alongside these are familiar Bollywood-inspired names like Soldier, Pardesi, Kranti, Desh Premi, and names of famous actors such as Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Jitendra, Dilip Kumar, and Hema Malini.

If names alone could win elections, this constituency would certainly be a blockbuster! But there is a story behind these quirky names. They belong mostly to the Pardhi community, a group that has lived a nomadic lifestyle for generations. Because their families move frequently, parents often name their children after whatever stands out at the time. Sometimes it’s the film playing at a nearby tent cinema, sometimes the city they are passing through, or even the snacks they are eating.

Santosh Jaiswal, a booth level officer (BLO) who has been on voter duty since 2006, laughs as he recalls the experience: “Madhuri Dixit, Jitendra Dixit, Pyaaz Bai, Sarangpur Bai, Hema Malini… at first these names felt strange, but now I’ve memorized them all. I’ve filled so many forms that even Bollywood might hire me as a casting director!” Another BLO shared: “Kaju Singh, Sunny Deol, Sherni Bai, Sher Khan… when I joined, I thought someone was joking. Now it’s routine.”

Even voters embrace their unique names. Desh Premi, a local resident, says proudly: “My father watched a film the day I was born. He liked the hero and the story, so he named me Desh Premi. Many in our community are named after film heroes and heroines: Soldier, Rajkumar, Pardesi.”

Currently, BLOs are busy with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, which began on November 4. They are updating the details of 5.74 crore electors across 230 assembly constituencies with the help of 65,014 BLOs. Despite the unusual names, the process is smooth. Documents match, identities are verified, and voter IDs are generated without any issues.