Poll boycott claims surface at Chiriya Basti in Bathinda, Talwandi Aklia in Mansa
There are a total of about 600 registered voters at Chiriya Basti
Residents of Chiriya Basti in Nehianwala village of Bathinda district has claimed that they did not exercise their right to franchise in protest against stagnant dirty water and the lack of proper roads.
They staged a symbolic protest and warned that if their issues remained unresolved, they would boycott all future elections.
However, responding to the claims, Bathinda Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Dhiman said it was not a boycott. “Nearly 100-150 votes were polled at Chiriya Basti. Further, we are going to resolve their issues soon, as earlier the work could not start due to the model code of conduct,” said Dhiman.
There are a total of about 600 registered voters at Chiriya Basti.
Meanwhile, at Talwandi Aklia village in Mansa district, only about 200 of the total 1,248 voters exercised their right to franchise. The residents had earlier threatened to boycott the elections in protest against the proposed cement factory in the village.
Some village residents claimed that only the Congress had set up its polling booths in the village. Sukhdev Singh of the Sangharsh Committee said that the village residents also staged a protest.
