A village in Kashmir recorded no voting during the fourth phase of elections despite the government launching a major initiative to aware the residents about the benefits of voting. Mahind village in Kashmirs Bijbehara constituency recorded zero voter turnout Sunday. The authorities for days had ahead of the polls had carried out motivational initiatives under (SVEEP) Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation program. Official sources said that not a single voter among 1545 registered electors throughout the day turned to exercise his franchise. They said that principal political National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party had not even sent their agents to polling booths which were setup in the government higher secondary school building. According to officials two polling booths Mahind-A and Mahind-B were established for 1545 registered electors in higher secondary school building. Out of 756 voters none came to cast his vote neither any agent of any political party was present in polling booth, a poll staff member of Mahind-A polling booth whishing anonymity said. While as another staff member of Mahind-B also confirmed that none of the voter among 789 registered voters turned up. Two PDP polling agents of a nearby Khiram village were present inside the polling booth for few hours and later they too left the polling booth when no voter turned up, the official said. Mahind located next to an army instalation is a bastion of social and religious group Jammat-e- Islami. The village has not witnessed any visible development in past several years. The village in recently held parliamentary elections also witnessed zero percent voter turnout. The zero turnout then had come to the notice of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which initiated motivational programs under SVEEP along with other villages which recorded low voter turnout. But Sundays boycott meant there was no effect. Motivational Initiatives were taken under the guidelines of (SVEEP) Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation program for ensuring maximum participation of the villagers in the assembly elections, however it failed, an official said. But Sundays boycott meant there was no effect. The Jamaat stopped contesting polls in Kashmir after the governments massive rigging during 1987 elections.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 15:51:46 +0000
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