Hapur Administration Betrays Panchayat Voters of Kotla Village
Grassroots Media
HAPUR ADMINISTRATION BETRAYS VOTERS OF KOTLA VILLAGE
Urgent & Serious Press Note
08 October 2010
"We would BOYCOTT the panchayat election if the booth in Kotla village is
not re-established. We will submit the Boycott Declaration
to District Election Officer by hand and Chief Electoral Officer by post after 5 pm of Saturday, 9
October 2010, if our polling booth of Kotla is not re-established immediately", the poor residents of Kotla village have conveyed their resentment.
Actually the Kotla is small village, while Salehpur is bigger; both falling in same gram panchayat Salehpur Kotla in Hapur block of Ghaziabad district. According to the
residents of Kotla village, certain mishievous powerful and anti-social elements
of Salehpur village have influenced the Hapur administration to shift the
polling booth from Kotla village to Salehpur village so that they can
conveniently implement their malpractices and coercive plans of hijacking the votes of poor people of Kotla. For last many
elections the Kotla village had polling booth in the primary school of the
village itself. This is a big conspiracy being tried out by said powerful people in order to gain panchayat election results in their favour. People of Kotla village are
thus asserting against injustice happening with them.
The forthcoming polling on 11th October 2010 in panchayat Salehpur Kotla has becoming increasingly sensitive. It is because some powerful, rich and influential people supporting/contesting the election are expected to cast false votes and coerce the voting process in their favour. By way of violating the strict rules ensuring peaceful and fair election, the contestants of Salehpur village especially are expected to capture the booths, threat the illiterate/innocent voters, hijack the ballet papers and misguide the voters. They have already been distributing the sweets door to door to appease the voters, and trying to buy some contestants. Other methods of coercing the poor and illiterate people are also being employed.
The villagers of Kotla have already complained to District Magistrate of Ghaziabad who is also acting as District Election Officer. The grievances of the villagers have also been communicated by villagers to Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Hapur who is looking after the election process in the block. But the administration has done nothing so far. The villagers of Kotla suspect the corruption in this happening. If the district administration fails in conducting fair
polling and reestablishing the polling booth in Kotla village, it would be great setback to democratic election process
in Salehpur Kotla panchayat.
--
===========================
GRASSROOTS MEDIA INITIATIVE
301 H-51/E, A. F. Enclave
Okhla, New Delhi - 110 025 India
Tel: 011-26955452, 09868993710 Fax: +91-11-26936366
E-mail: grassrootsme...@gmail.com
Web: www.grassroots.org.in/communication.htm
............................................................
Led by youths the GMI promotes application of media & communication in development of poor and eradication of poverty and hunger through capacity building, research and mainstreaming of voices of voiceless.