Villagers of West Bengal's Purulia boycott polls over poor development

Villagers in West Bengal's Purulia District have decided to boycott elections, citing lack of development in their region as the main reason.

Over 200 Muslim voters of Islamdi, Narayanpur and Joypur villages called for a vote boycott over lack of developmental work. Villagers of the area claimed that in 2013, electrification process was initiated by erecting many electric poles in the villages and installing meters in the houses, but remained incomplete as wiring was not finished.

Irked villagers said that despite proper paperwork and depositing money for the installation of the poles, power has not reached their homes. "We are facing a lot of problems. No steps have been taken by the authorities. Nothing has been done about electricity connections. Due to this negligence by the authorities, we are boycotting these polls," said Kurban Ansari, a villager.

The absence of electricity has become a big issue for the villagers this election season as they seemed hell-bent on boycotting polls on Wednesday. 

Polls are being held West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia Districts on Wednesday.

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