ASKA: Undeterred by lack of pucca houses, tribal villagers of Kotaniganda and Ashokepalli in Saba panchayat under Dharakote block cast their votes under a tree during the third phase of polling in Ganjam on Sunday.
The villages, situated on hilltop, are devoid of pucca houses and motorable roads. In the absence of a building to house polling booth, a makeshift booth was set up under a tree to facilitate the process. Of total 136 voters in the villages, 107 came out to exercise their franchise on the day.
Dharakote block, comprising 18 panchayats and 80,160 voters, saw a turnout of 65.17 per cent. Saba panchayat reported the highest 76 per cent voting while Mundamarai recorded the lowest 57 per cent turnout.