NIZAMABAD: Having burnt their fingers at Varanasi, the turmeric farmers from Nizamabad district have obtained an appointment with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Monday, to explain to him how they were prevented from filing nominations for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.
The delegation of Telangana Turmeric Farmers Association, led by its president K Narasimha Naidu, will make a representation to the CEC at 11 am on the appointed day. About 50 turmeric farmers had gone to Varanasi recently to file nominations en masse, as a way of highlighting their plight as well as their demands including the formation of a turmeric board. They had expected to draw the nation’s attention towards their problems, since it is from this constituency that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking re-election to Lok Sabha. But only half of them filed nominations, out of which only one was accepted.
The Association contended that the rejection took place because of the unhelpful and derisive attitude of the polling staff, apart from the farmers’ inability to get the requisite number of proposers for each of them.
Narasimha Naidu told Express that they would explain their Varanasi experience to the CEC and submit a detailed memorandum to him, seeking an inquiry into the attitude of the polling staff. He said that the district administration and the police officials had created several hurdles for them in Varanasi from day one, because they did not want them to file nominations en masse.
According to him, even the staff tested their patience by attending to their work at leisure. Even while issuing challans and receiving nominations, there was unwarranted delay. The polling staff made them wait in a separate queue line which, Naidu claims, exposed their real intention towards them.