HYDERABAD: Will the residents of Serlingampally and Quthubullapur constituencies be able to pull off a repeat of the 1996 Lok Sabha elections when Nalgonda had pitched over 480 candidates? In a bid to draw attention to the severe industrial pollution choking the two constituencies of west zone, affected citizens are mulling whether to file nominations in hundreds of numbers to draw national attention on the issue, much like what activists in Nalgonda had done, leading to the polls getting delayed.
In 1996 Nalgonda’s Jala Sadhana Samithi, fed up with the persistent issue of fluoride in groundwater, filed over 500 nominations in a bid to derail the voting process. Ultimately there were 480 contestants in the fray and the Election Commission, instead of the regular ballot sheet, was forced not only to reprint sheets which were the size of a newspaper, but also increase the size of ballot box and extend the poll timing, throwing the normal process haywire. The residents of Serlingampally are hoping to pull off something similar.
“Apart from this we are also planning to consider the NOTA option in large numbers to send out a message to the political establishment that we are unsatisfied with their governance. It is the only way to show our numbers and how serious we are about the issue,” noted Uma Maheshwar, a resident of Nallagandala.In 1996 these electoral stunts ensured that the polls got delayed by over a month, allowing the national attention on the fluoride poisoning of the groundwater that left thousands crippled and putting the politicos in the dock.
The residents of Serlingampally and Quthubullapur are hoping that these elections, 22 years later, may throw more light not only on the issue of gaseous emissions let out from the various industrial clusters on far west side of the city, but also highlight their day to day issues plaguing the constituency.
“I have been here for seven years and heard the same promises repeated. Honestly, urban civic issues have taken a back seat. The roads, the drainage, the constant traffic need focused intervention, however there has been very little political will to mend these,” added Uma Maheshwar.
However, with high security deposits, they may not be able to pull off the stunt as after the 1996 instance, the EC hiked the deposit amount from `250 for Assembly election to `10,000 to dissuade citizens from using this as means of protest. However, these residents are motivated.
The Nalgonda model
In 1996, Nalgonda’s Jala Sadhana Samithi, fed up with the persistent issue of fluoride in groundwater, filed over 500 nominations in a bid to derail voting process. The EC was forced not only to reprint sheets which were the size of a newspaper, but also increase the size of ballot box and extend the poll timing, throwing the poll process haywire. The electoral stunts ensured that the polls got delayed by over a month, allowing the national attention on the fluoride poisoning of the groundwater that left thousands crippled