RANIPET: More than 1,200 voters from Avalur in Ranipet boycotted the elections on Friday, citing their four-year-long demand for a new overbridge on the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway near their village was unmet and they were not offered any assurance from the officials.
The villagers have reportedly met with frequent accidents as they are largely dependent on travelling to the other side of the highway towards Panapakkam for their livelihood, education and access to health care.
P Jayamalini (18), a first-time voter, made a decision to join their fellow villagers' boycott, citing the everyday challenges faced by her community due to the lack of an overbridge to cross the highway safely. In 2017, she lost her mother in an accident on the same highway. She claimed that no official reached out to them, despite the villagers announcing their boycott days prior to the elections.
Two overbridges, 1.5 km away from the village, were constructed in Perumpullipakkam and Kalathur, however, the villagers claimed that Avalur is constantly neglected. Around 12 pm on the day of the elections, one V Silambarasan (34) said, "If any official is to approach us now and assure that steps will be taken to initiate the construction, we are prepared to cast our votes."
Nemili tahsildar held a discussion with the villagers and repeatedly explained their constitutional rights, however, did not provide them with any assurance, which led to a confrontation, resulting in the villagers leaving the polling booth without casting their votes. Avalur Panchayat President R Parvathi (52) said that the decision to boycott polls was a voluntary one and was not imposed upon the villagers by anyone else.
There were 1,279 eligible voters with 26 first-time electors among the villagers, however, only 35 votes were cast in the said polling station, including the 11 staff deputed on poll duty.
A government official, seeking anonymity, told TNIE that they could not provide any assurance for the overbridge construction as the issue falls under the NHAI's jurisdiction and that only the respective member of the parliament or the NHAI could address it.
Besides, the Avalur Colony with an elector count of 533 was allocated a separate polling booth, where the voting process was carried out without any impediments.