Cane growers of five villages threaten to boycott polls

Five villages in the district have threatened to boycott the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh over non-payment of dues to sugarcane farmers by a sugar mill here.

Residents of the five villages under Budhana assembly constituency -- Aterna, Alipur, Vailli, Rasulpur and Dhabhedi -- convened a panchayat yesterday where it was decided that they would boycott assembly elections if mill failed to clear the dues.

Several cane growers alleged that the mill at Bhasani had not cleared payment to them during the current season while other sugar mills in the district had done so.