Udupi village decides to boycott upcoming elections due to poor facilities

The decision was taken by the villagers of Kadingeri. (document)

Udupi:

Residents of a village in Khap assembly area of ​​Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency have decided to boycott the upcoming elections in protest against poor municipal facilities there.

The decision was taken by the villagers of Kattingeri, which is part of the Moodubelle Gram Panchayat. They announced their refusal to participate in any upcoming electoral process, including Lok Sabha elections, until their demands are met.

Villagers are outraged by the lack of basic facilities such as roads, bridges and functional public transport links in Katingeri.

They lamented the lack of progress despite previous engagement with the authorities, including past visits by the deputy commissioner, which failed to produce tangible solutions.

Former chairman of Belle Gram Panchayat Shivaji S Suvarna highlighted the important voter base of Kadingeri, estimated to be around 1,000 eligible voters, who participated in large numbers in the past elections.

However, a lack of infrastructure remains a prominent issue, particularly the lack of roads and bridges, which has hampered access to vital services over the past six years, he said.

Former Taluk Panchayat president Devdas Hebbar highlighted the unwavering resolve of the villagers and pointed out previous instances where boycotts were lifted due to assurances from elected representatives.

But this time, the villagers withstood the pressure and inducements from the outside world and resolutely implemented the meeting’s decision.

Former Belle Gram Panchayat president Ranjani Hegde briefed PTI on the non-negotiable stand of the villagers that they would vote in the elections only after road work is completed and bus services to Kattingeri resumed.

Hegde expressed dismay at the apparent disregard for the villages by local MLAs and MPs and said efforts were being made to draw attention to their issues, particularly through correspondence with regional electoral officials and the state electoral commission about the boycott.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)