Kerala - Kochi   

They voted with their feet

KOCHI: Political parties and their candidates asked for their votes in the byelection. A section of the electorate of the Mulavukad panchayat, however, felt they were better off utilising the opportunity to highlight their plight by staying away from the polling booths.

In the island of Mulavukad, protest against the alleged apathy of the authorities on the twin issues of lack of a proper road and drinking water marked the byelection to the Ernakulam Assembly constituency held on Saturday.

A dharna was staged at Ponnarimangalam under the aegis of the Mulavukad Road Vikasana Samyukhta Samara Samithi. The protesters held placards and displayed cartoons criticising the neglect of the authorities. The committee claimed that its call for boycott of the election had evoked a good response from the electorate.

Banners could be seen across the panchayat exhorting people to boycott the election asking them why they should bother to vote when their just demands went unheeded.

“Our protest was never election-centric and it would continue even after the elections are over,” said C.M. Babu, a member of the protest committee. They said that their demand for a road goes back to more than four years. They blame the Goshree Island Development Authority and the Mulavukad panchayat for their backbreaking journey on what they regard as an apology for a road.

Candidates, they said, were given a cold shoulder during the campaign and it was duly reflected in the polling as well. If polling in booths up to Ponjikkara did not really substantiate their claim, it was because residents in those areas were the least affected when it came to transportation, they said. Towards the northern end of the panchayat, the boycott call had more takers as was evident from the sparse voter turnout, Mr. Babu said. M.X. Roy, another protester who sat on a dharna, said they were not in anyway against the voting. “But, the rulers should at least provide us a decent road, if not for anything else, to reach the polling booths safely,” he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

They voted with their feet
Legal awareness programme
Entries invited for media awards
Technology session
Polling peaceful in Ernakulam
Fishermen plan dharna
Both fronts confident of winning seat
Candidates among early voters
Polling under tight security
Indonesian Navy ship to arrive today
Discussion
Drama awards
In Kochi Today

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu