New Delhi: Poll boycotts have emerged as a significant issue in India’s ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Across the country, from north to south and east to west, numerous villages and even entire Assembly segments have seen residents refusing to cast their votes.
In the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections held on May 7, seven villages in Gujarat—home to both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah—boycotted voting entirely. Officials confirmed complete boycotts in the villages of Kesar in Bharuch, Sanadhara in Surat, and Bhakhari in Banaskantha.
Additionally, residents of Bhatgam in Junagadh, Rabarika in Bhavnagar, and Bodoli and Pujara in Mahisagar district partially abstained from voting.
Several villages in Gujarat have boycotted elections due to unresolved issues and unmet demands.
In Bhakhari village in Banaskantha, residents refrained from voting because they wanted a separate gram panchayat.
In Kesar village in Bharuch, approximately 350 voters did not cast their ballots because a promised bridge over Kim Creek was not constructed.
In Rabarika village, under the Amreli constituency in Bhavnagar, voting was delayed for six hours as residents called for improvements in water supply for drinking and irrigation, road conditions, and other local concerns.
Rabarika, located in the Savarkundla Assembly constituency, has around 410 registered voters.
For the past eight months, villagers have been urging the government to address issues such as lack of water access, poor road infrastructure, and challenges with land records.
Meanwhile, residents of Bhatgam village in Junagadh have been grappling with civic problems. At Bodoli and Kunjara polling stations, both in the Balasinor gram panchayat, many voters chose to abstain from voting due to their opposition to a nearby dumping site.
In addition to other regions, the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand has also seen villagers protesting by boycotting elections.
In Kanar village near Pithoragarh, residents expressed their discontent over the lack of a basic necessity—a road. The villagers have taken a similar stance in previous Lok Sabha elections, boycotting the polls to highlight their long-standing struggle for essential infrastructure.
Elections in the state took place during the first phase on April 19.
In eight villages in the Bulandshahr district of western Uttar Pradesh, residents boycotted voting out of dissatisfaction with their elected representatives.
Despite efforts by officials and local representatives to persuade people to vote by afternoon, residents in villages such as Ugaima, Sulaela, Yavapur, and Hirapur Khurd refused to change their stance. Of the total 3,543 eligible voters in these four villages, only 53 cast their ballots.
Many villagers announced their decision to boycott the elections before the Lok Sabha polls over unresolved issues.
While officials managed to negotiate and convince some villagers to vote by promising to address their concerns, residents of eight villages still announced their decision to boycott the elections on Friday morning.
This led local representatives and officials to make repeated visits to the villages.
In the village of Madangarh in the Unchagaon area, residents were persuaded, and voting began in the afternoon. Consequently, 322 out of a total of 489 voters cast their ballots.
In contrast, in Sulaela village in the Bugrasi area, only 44 out of 1,598 eligible voters participated in the election.
In Ugaima village in the Ahmadgarh area, only three out of 313 voters cast their ballots.
In Boda village, 270 out of 884 voters voted. In Yavapur village in Dibai, only five out of 1,276 voters cast their ballots, and in Hirapur, only one out of 356 voters participated.
In Ramapur village in Narora, 1,395 out of 3,113 voters cast their ballots, while in Nagla Vidhi village, 348 out of 1,046 voters participated.
Residents in these villages have been demanding road construction for the past decade, but their demands have gone unaddressed by elected representatives and officials.
In Nagla Vidhi village in Narora, residents boycotted the elections due to the lack of electricity supply from the Narora Power Plant.
While some psephologists attribute low voter turnout to the scorching summer weather, voters themselves blame local administrations for their inaction and lack of responsiveness.
Villagers are raising their voices and boycotting elections to demand fundamental amenities such as roads, connectivity, drinking water, electricity, and medical care.
Reports indicate that some villages in the southern state of Karnataka chose to abstain from voting.
In Indigatha village in Chamarajanagar district, residents took extreme measures by vandalising the polling booth and damaging electronic voting machines.
Locals claim that for the past seven decades, they have advocated for better road connectivity and basic facilities, but officials have unheard of their appeals.
Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for 100 per cent electrification, one village in Karnataka has yet to receive electricity.
This lack of progress in providing essential amenities has led to frustration and protests among the residents.
In Tamil Nadu, several villages have boycotted the Lok Sabha elections in the first phase due to unresolved issues.
In the Pudukottai district, Vengarayal and Eraiyur villages, predominantly composed of Hindu and Dalit voters, abstained from voting because of unclean drinking water and severe caste-based discrimination.
In 2022, it was discovered that Dalits in the area were consuming water from a tank contaminated with human waste.
The ongoing concerns about access to clean water and persistent caste-based violence have prompted the villagers to take a stand and boycott the polls.
In Thoothukudi, DMK’s Lok Sabha member Kanimozhi Karunanidhi’s constituency, villages such as Pottaloorani, Mothakkal, and Kattupalli, along with 10 other villages, boycotted the general elections.
Residents chose not to participate in the voting process, reflecting dissatisfaction with unaddressed concerns in their communities.
Meanwhile, the widespread election boycotts across India underscore the depth of discontent and dissatisfaction many villagers feel toward their local administrations and elected representatives.
Voters have made clear that the issues of infrastructure, basic amenities such as clean water and electricity, and persistent social inequalities, including caste-based discrimination, must be addressed.
These protests and boycotts are a call to action for those in power to heed their constituents’ grievances and work toward meaningful solutions. Addressing these longstanding issues is essential not only for the well-being of these communities but also for the health and integrity of India’s democratic process.