More than 600 voters residing in a secluded tribal village within Dhalai district, constituting a segment of the Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency, chose to abstain from participating in the electoral process on Friday. This decision stemmed from the persistent neglect regarding the repair of a crucial 7-kilometer village road, which has been a pressing demand of the community for several months.
The village, inhabited by approximately 900 individuals, has underscored the paramount importance of repairing this road for the welfare of their community. Despite the scheduled arrival of the polling team at the Sadai Mohan Para polling station within the Raima Valley Assembly constituency, the villagers refrained from entering the premises to cast their votes. Their deliberate abstention serves as a form of protest against what they perceive as government indifference towards their plight.
Arindam Das, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Gandacherra (Raima Valley), affirmed the villagers' stance, noting their presence outside the polling booth while emphasizing the need for the administration to earnestly address their grievances. Despite the setback, there remains optimism that the villagers will eventually engage in the democratic process, provided their concerns are heeded and remedied promptly.
Furthermore, apart from the road repair issue, the villagers have also voiced grievances regarding the lack of adequate drinking water supply. In response, officials swiftly dispatched a team to Sadai Mohan Para to engage with the community and encourage their participation in the electoral proceedings.
State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath acknowledged the reports of voter abstention due to unaddressed infrastructure concerns, highlighting the specific instances in Maldapara (Sadai Moha Para) in Dhalai district and Ampi in Gumati district. While expressing concerns over the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s (CPI(M)) apparent absence of polling agents, Nath characterized the overall polling process as moderate and peaceful, barring a few isolated incidents.
In essence, the decision of more than 600 voters to abstain from voting underscores the urgency of addressing critical infrastructure needs in marginalized communities, emphasizing the integral link between governance and electoral participation.
