Villages boycotting polling in protest of unresolved issues is common. Heard of any village doing the same for money? Well, the curious case of Bhojya Naik Tanda from Basheerabad mandal of Ranga Reddy district is testimony to that.
This tribal hamlet from Navalga village panchayat has not seen representatives from any political party visiting them, as an independent candidate also contested from there. The general assumption was that the whole hamlet would vote for the independent.
On D-day, only about 20 to 30 people went to vote, which raised eyebrows. Upon enquiry, it came to light that the rest abstained from voting, demanding a lump-sum for the whole hamlet. Sources informed that their demand was for Rs. 5 lakh for the entire hamlet, which was not acceptable to any political party.
“Not reaching any deal, but attracting a lot of attention, the villagers got scared, and went to vote at about 5 p.m.,” a local resident said on condition of anonymity.
Another hamlet, Chenchupally from Yenkepally village panchayat of Pudur mandal too abstained from voting for much of the day, protesting about unresolved problems. They were angry about pending unresolved issues such as bad roads and the lack of water tanks—issues continuing since the last elections in 2009. However, persuaded by revenue officials, they finally came around and cast their vote.
Another village, Elmakanne from Tandur witnessed trouble when a group of women obstructed voting, said sources. It was eventually resolved after police entered the scene.
