More than 300 voters at Kannimarkovilpatti in Viralipatti panchayat in Nilakottai constituency on Saturday announced that they would boycott the May 16 Assembly election in protest against making them travel five km to cast their votes. They have been facing this hardship for the third time in five years.
According to them, repeated appeals to set up a polling station at their village or attach them to the nearest polling station were turned down by officials during every election. The travel distance increased election after election, the villagers complained.
In the 2016 poll, they were attached to Pannaipatti village, which was five km away. “After walking for two km to reach the main road, we have to take either bus or share autorickshaw to Pannaipatti. It is tiring for aged persons, especially women,” said resident S. Kanagaraj.
“We have been facing this problem for a long time. We were attached to a polling station in Viralipatti, two km away, in the last local body election. In 2014 Lok Sabha poll, our village was attached to a polling station at Kurumbapatti, two-and-a-half km away. Now, the travel distance ha increased to five km,” he said.
“Unlike Kodaikanal”
The villagers grouse is that when the election officials take pain to set up booth at remote villages on Kodaikanal hills, why their village was neglected which is in the plains and very close to Batlagundu as well.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidates stopped visiting the village for campaign.
Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Azhagumani canvassed for votes in the village on Saturday morning.
