TIRUCHY/KARUR: Rebuking the practice of accepting cash for votes, a sanitary worker in Tiruchy and a couple in Karur put up messages outside their houses on Thursday saying their votes are not for sale.
In Tiruchy, B Bakkiyaraj (37), a contract sanitary worker with the Tiruchy corporation and resident of Chinthamani Municipal Colony, put up a poster outside his house. Bakkiyaraj said although he and his wife have voted in several Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the past, he has often been approached by candidates with offers, which he has consistently refused. “Even though I come from a poor family and depend on a modest income, I value my voting rights more than money,” he told TNIE.
“Selling votes affects good governance and slows down development. Most parties’ promises depend on freebies, and this situation should change,” Bakkiyaraj said.
The couple decided to put up the poster in advance, even before any political party worker could approach them.
In Karur, a similar notice board was found outside a house near a polling booth in Thanthonimalai. The house belonged to S Senthilkumar, a postgraduate teacher at Government Higher Secondary School in Kuppandiyur, and his wife S Senthilvadivu, an assistant agriculture officer.
Attempts to reach the couple for comment were unsuccessful.