2019 Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha Elections - In a first, over 150 inmates of mental health centre cast votes in Chennai,Tamil Nadu Thursday April 18,2019

They lined up patiently to cast their votes in the blazing sun, 156 inmates of a mental health centre in chennai, eager to participate in the electoral process as polling was held in 38 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu Thursday April 18,2019

The inmates, including 56 women, exercised their franchise in a booth exclusively set up for them at the Institute of Mental Hospital (IMH), Kilpauk,Chenn probably the first time such patients are voting in the country

The area comes under Central Chennai constituency where the main fight is between former Union Minister and DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran, Sam Paul of PMK under the AIADMK-BJP-PMK combine, Kameela Nasser from Makkal Needhi Maiam floated by actor Kamal Haasan.

IMH Director P Poorna Chandrika was elated over the exercise being conducted in the hospital. "This is the first time in the country that such patients are voting and also for the first time an auxiliary polling booth is being set up inside a mental hospital," she told

The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences in Bengaluru and Calcutta Mental Hospital also have voters list, but it is not known if they have done something like this, she added.

The exercise to add the inmates' names to the electoral roll was initiated in February this year, the director said, adding patients were chosen based on their decision-making capacity.