1000 Frustrated Villagers Boycotted Phase 5 Lok Sabha Election

On Monday, around 1,000 villagers from Dabjor in Odisha’s Balangir constituency boycotted the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, demanding schools and hospitals. The village has 1,071 eligible voters, including 561 men and 510 women. Reports indicate that polling staff sealed all the EVMs and VVPATs at the booths around 2 pm because no one showed up to vote.

This incident occurred in Dabjor village, located within the Karam Tala Gram Panchayat of the Titlagarh Assembly Constituency, part of the Balangir Lok Sabha Constituency. Booth 15 Presiding Officer Runu Meher informed ANI that the villagers boycotted the elections as no one came to vote despite hours of waiting. He stated, “While conducting the mock poll at 5:45 am, we noticed the absence of voters and poll agents. We waited for hours but neither the poll agent nor the voters arrived to cast their votes. As a result, we had to seal all the EVMs and VVPATs at 2 pm. We think they have boycotted the election over their demands of schools and hospitals.”

Villager and voter Debashish Patra explained that the boycott was due to numerous hardships from the lack of essential infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals. He mentioned, “Nine months ago, we complained to the district administration about the challenges we face, but no one has come to address them. Our Panchayat is located in a different village, 18 kilometers away. The government promotes the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme, but do they consider the same daughter who has to cycle 18 kilometers daily to attend school? Senior citizens have to travel 18 kilometers to collect their pensions. We have to travel for rations, and the cost of the journey often exceeds the value of the ration itself. We urge the government to solve our problems first; only then will we vote.”

Another resident, Vedvyas Patra, also expressed frustration over the lack of response from the District Collector Office and Block Office, highlighting the absence of roads, high schools, a panchayat, and hospitals. Following the incident, the district collector urged the villagers to vote, but they refused until their demands were met.

Odisha’s assembly and Lok Sabha elections are being held simultaneously in four phases from May 13 to June 1. On Monday morning, voting began across 35 Assembly seats and five Lok Sabha constituencies amid tight security and arrangements. Elections for 42 assembly segments and six Lok Sabha seats will occur on May 25, with the final phase on June 1. Votes will be counted on June 4.

In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJD won 112 out of 146 seats, while the BJP won 23 and Congress secured nine seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJD dominated with 12 seats, the BJP won eight, and the Congress secured just one seat.