Poll boycott did not help; irked villagers to vote this time

The villagers have been protesting against coal mines in Dharamjaigarh

Atulchand Madhu, a farmer in Baicy village of Dharamjaigarh block, joined others to boycott the democratic process in the 2008 state polls in Chhattisgarh. In the last five years, he and other villagers realised the decision to boycott the election was amiss.

Madhu joined around 13,000 voters spread across nine villages in Dharamjaigarh assembly constituency of Raigarh district to boycott the elections in 2008. The villagers have been protesting against the coal mines allotted to different companies that would eat up their localities.

Most of the voters were the Bangladeshi migrants who had crossed the borders in early 50s and settled in Baicy and nearby villagers. They were demanding land deed that the state government had denied for the last five decades despite the land was allotted to them.

“Since no party came clean on the issue of coal mines and land deed, the villagers decided to boycott the elections in 2008,” Madhu told Business Standard. Hardly 100 votes were cast as the party activists in the nine villagers were forced to exercise their franchise, he recalled.

The villagers thought that decision would help bringing the issues to the notice of political power. Unfortunately, in the last five years, neither the sitting BJP MLA Omprakash Rathiya nor the opposition Congress leaders bothered to reach the villagers to address their grievances.

“We have now decided to vote (when the constituency will go to the polls on November 19),” Madhu said. The announcement had put the poll managers of both BJP and Congress in a fix. For, the nine villages literally hold the key to elect the legislator in the constituency.

In 2003 state polls, Omprakash Rathiya came out in support of villagers to protest the coal mines. He defeated the Congress candidate by a huge margin of around 18,000 votes. When the villagers boycotted the election in 2008, the lead of Rathiya was reduced to 3500 votes.  

He is again in the fray while Congress had pitted Laljeet Singh Rathiya against him. The voters in Baicy and other villagers are however playing cards close to their chest. They did not buy the assurance that Congress state president Charandas Mahant had delivered---the Congress government would give land deed and also look into the coal mines issue.

“The same assurance was given by chief minister Raman Singh in 2008 but he did not act,” Madhu said. Instead of giving land deed, the BJP government took away their land for the private companies to explore coal, he added.

The villagers have made it clear—for them both the political parties are in the line of fire. The villagers announcing to participate in polling is in general good news. But for the BJP and Congress, it is a matter of concern. For, the nine villages decide the candidates’ fate in coal-bearing Dharamjaigarh.