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Over 2,000 villagers boycott polls over demand for bridge in Jharkhand’s Hazaribag
Over 2,000 voters in a village in Jharkhand’s Hazaribag district boycotted the Lok Sabha election on Monday because their long-standing demand for a bridge had not been met, an official said.
The incident took place in Kusumbha village under the jurisdiction of Katkamdag police station, nearly 105km from state capital Ranchi. The village is part of Hazaribag Lok Sabha constituency. By noon, no votes had been cast at booths 183 and 184, located at Upgraded Middle School, Kusumbha. Polling officials were seen waiting for voters.
"I have been here since 7 am, but no one has come to vote yet," said Subodh Prasad Verma, the presiding officer of booth 184. He mentioned that there are 920 registered voters at his booth. "We will wait until 5 pm. We hope the voters will eventually come," he added.
Hazaribag deputy commissioner Nancy Sahay told PTI, "Voters at two polling stations in Kusumbha have boycotted the election. Upon receiving the information, I, along with SP Arvind Kumar, went to the village to persuade them to vote." The SP said villagers were firm in their stance, stating they would only vote once their demand for a bridge was met.
Fadnavis urges EC to look into complaints of slow voting in Mumbai
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said he has requested the Election Commission of India to look into complaints of slow pace of voting in Mumbai.
Polling was underway from 7 am in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, including six in Mumbai, and will continue till 6 pm.
Till 1 pm, Mumbai North seat witnessed 26.78 per cent polling, Mumbai North Central 28.05 per cent, Mumbai North East 28.82 per cent, Mumbai North West 28.41 per cent, Mumbai South 24.46 per cent and Mumbai South Central 27.21 per cent, as per official data.
Fadnavis in a statement said, "I have requested the EC to look into the complaints of slow pace of voting in Mumbai. There have been several complaints of the overall polling pace being very slow." The BJP leader also asked the EC officials to discuss the matter with the collectors of Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban District and ensure voters do not face any problem due to the slow pace of voting at the booths.
People voting for developed India: Faizabad MP
Lallu Singh, the sitting MP from Faizabad, the constituency that covers temple town of Ayodhya, and BJP candidate, expressed confidence in the BJP's victory after casting his vote. He emphasized that people are voting for the development of India and Ayodhya, aiming for Narendra Modi to become Prime Minister for the third time."The electorate is voting for a developed India, a developed Ayodhya, and to re-elect PM Modi for the third term. The developmental work in Ayodhya has just begun, and it will transform into the most exquisite place globally," Singh conveyed to ANI.