Over 2,000 villagers boycott polls over demand for bridge in Jharkhand’s Hazaribag

Hazaribag (Jharkhand): 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.

Sahay explained that the villagers had been requesting a bridge from NTPC authorities. However, NTPC is constructing an underpass, which the villagers find unsuitable for accessing drinking water, essential goods, medical services, and other needs.

Sahay noted that the district administration has been in discussions with NTPC for the past few months to address the villagers' concerns.

A voter, Nakul Mahto, claimed that the underpass being built near Banadag railway siding would not meet their needs. "We are demanding the construction of a bridge, which NTPC has not fulfilled," he said.