Tribals living in Bhagirath Para in Tripura’s Dhalai district, who had decided to boycott the Lok Sabha polls to protest the lack of essential amenities like cleaning drinking water, electricity, roads, adequate school facilities and the like, ANI reported. However, after officials met with them and pledged to address and deliver on their demands within six months, the boycott was withdrawn.
The protesting villagers had said they would not vote in the election unless Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb met with them and pledged to deliver on their demands, ANI said. On the morning of Tuesday, April 23, the day the Tripura East constituency went to the polls, local administration and police officials met with the villagers, “and convinced them to cast their vote after it was committed that all their promises will be fulfilled,” ANI said, adding that since that morning, voter turnout was zero at the Bhagirath Para polling centre. The BJP’s candidate for the constituency, Rebati Tripura, had accused supporters of the Opposition of threatening the villagers if they voted, ANI said.
The villagers had alleged that, in 2012, the previous government had taken Rs. 1,400 as an advance to supply electricity, but had not followed through. They also demanded water for pipelines that had been installed a long time ago, a higher number of teachers, and a hostel facility for students, ANI reported. The protesters, primarily youths, also demanded that a market shed, a panchayat office, and other essential facilities be established.
This was not the only boycott in Tripura. At around 10:30am on the day of the polls, The Hindu reported that 20 families in the state’s North Durgapur village in the Khowai sub-division were boycotting the polls after a local youth was allegedly assaulted by personnel from a paramilitary force. Separately, ANI reported that villagers in Gandacherra, also in the Dhalai district, were boycotting the Lok Sabha polls due to lack of adequate medical care. ANI said several villagers were suffering from fever, and spoke to one resident, who said that no doctor or officer was coming to the area, that medication was not available and that they had no money.