RAICHUR: Polling booths located at 12 villages in Raichur taluk, witnessed a rush of women, queuing up to vote ‘None of the above’ or NOTA during elections on Tuesday. The women, wanted to send a message to the local candidates that they were suffering due to the spread of alcoholism in the region, as liquor is available easily. The women even took to the streets, displaying placards that declared that they had voted NOTA. Incidentally, the group formed by these voters, Madhya Nishedha Andolana, had also marched to Bengaluru from Chitradurga last year, demanding a ban on liquor.
According to the forum, over 1,400 women opted for NOTA. “This was inevitable as no political parties have listened to their woes for the past four years. Both Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy did not hear our requests, the BJP leaders also did not support our cause,” said Vidhya Patil, leader of the movement.
At B Yadlapur, Jagirvenkatapur, Muranpur, Sultapur, Raghunathanahalli, D Rampur, Korthakunda, Mamadadoddi, Halavenjatapur and other villages the scene unfolding outside polling booths was the same. Angry women, clad in traditional sarees, sat in dharna, shouting slogans.
All efforts by the poll officials, to convince them not to opt for NOTA, did not yield any results. According to Mokshamma, another leader of the group, the women had initially threatened to boycott the polls entirely but finally agreed to vote NOTA. In 2017, the group had continued a protest for 72 days, which saw the participation of over 50,000 women in Raichur. “This is just the beginning and these women will go to any extent to ban liquor in the state,” Mokshamma said.