Several families are facing difficult times with their domestic help and cooks going on leave to exercise their voting rights on Saturday.

The seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal on Saturday will cover Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jayanagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Uttar and Kolkata Dakshin.

Several centres that provide attendants and ayahs said they won’t be able to provide anyone before Monday.

Families with aged and ailing members said they were waiting for the polling process to end at the earliest.

Some of these caregivers and help who turned up on Friday informed their employers before leaving that they wouldn’t be back before Monday.

A few others said they would return on Wednesday, a day after the Lok Sabha results are out.

“Our cook left on Friday saying she would return on Tuesday. I have ailing parents at home and the family is completely dependent on her. We will have to find alternative ways to arrange for food,” said Snighdha Chatterjee, a resident of New Alipore who works in a private bank.

Chatterjee said her cook was from Joynagar in South 24-Parganas.

“We would not be able to provide attendants for patients and the aged before Tuesday. Most of our staff have left for their homes in Baruipur, Sonarpur and Garia to cast their votes and won’t return before Tuesday,” said Basudev Acharya, owner of one such centre that provides ayahs and help.

Owners of several other centres said they won’t be in a position to provide help till Monday night.

“We have requested some of our existing clients, including some of those who require attendants 24x7, to pull through these few days before our staff resume their duties,” said Narayan Maity, owner of another ayah centre in Ballygunge.

Several residents who are left without drivers, domestic help and medical assistants said they were forced to fend for themselves.

The Sunday after the polling day would come as a relief but we are worried about Monday, said a resident of Kasba.

“If the help doesn’t turn up on Monday, either me or my wife would have to take the day off. My father is ailing and requires round-the-clock attention,” said Sanjoy Ghosh Dastidar, an IT employee.

His wife works with an FMCG company.

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

“I have to return to Khardah to cast my vote. I have requested my manager to excuse me for the day,” said Shyamal Das, a security guard engaged in a mall in south Calcutta.