Fed up with complete apathy of the political leaders to their plight, over 750 residents of a village in the Satyavedu Assembly constituency in Chittoor district have decided to boycott the elections and threatened to impose a fine of Rs 10,000 on any villager who defies the diktat of the elders.
The hamlet of Santhanuthulapadu, located about 6 km from Varadayaplem mandal in the Satyavedu constituency, is an SC-populated village comprising 150 families with women forming nearly 60 per cent of the 750 voters. The village has no pucca road till date. According to the locals, politicians come to them before every election, promise to get the road laid and persuade them to vote.
However, the road never materialised, they complain. Located close to the Nellore coast, the village is often lashed by incessant rains which turn the only muddy road into a dirty mess. Adding insult to injury, the villagers have to walk 6 kms to fetch drinking water.
“We have been cheated by the politicians for the past four decades. This time, we have strictly decided not to vote for anybody. Anyone violating this will have to pay a penalty of Rs 10,000 besides being banished from the village,” said G Lachamma. The wedding of at least a dozen girls could not take place because of the inaccessibility of the village, she said.
With just 48 hours left for the polls, some political leaders who trekked to this village on Monday were politely told to leave the place immediately. Ramulaiah, a village elder, said no government scheme has reached them and that sitting MLA K Narayanaswamy never visited the village after the 2004 election.
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