Raising the issue of several unmet demands, villages in Tamil Nadu boycotted the Lok Sabha elections on Friday, April 19. While residents of Ennore had threatened to boycott the elections, they withdrew it on the polling day.
Here is a list of villages that boycotted the Lok Sabha elections:
> Vengavayal and Eraiyur villages in Pudukkottai
Vengavayal Dalits and caste Hindus from Eraiyur village in Pudukkottai district stayed away from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on Friday, April 19. The villagers along with the Eraiyur village boycotted the polls and stood with black masks and flags. “The nation will stink if we vote. We had human faeces and you want your vote? We who drank the filthy water will not vote” This case has been on the news ever since an extreme caste crime came to light in December 2022, when the water tank used by Dalits in the community was discovered defiled with human waste.
> Pottaloorani village in Thoothukudi
The residents of Pottaloorani village in Thoothukudi district boycotted the polls in protest of the closure of the three units near to their village that produces fish oil and poultry feed using fish waste, resulting in an unbearable smell. A petition was filed to K Senthil Raj, the district collector at the time, to close down the two units.
>Mothakkal village in Thiruvannamalai
Adi Dravidar community from Mothakkal village in the Thiruvannamalai held black flags to raise awareness of their lack of a common graveyard for the Adi Dravidar community. They said that various caste Hindus and the Panchayat president discriminated against them by refusing them entrance to the burial ground's roadways. The villagers also urged the election officers and district collector to pay them a visit.
> Kattupalli village in Thiruvallur
Stating that the promise of permanent jobs is still on paper, residents of Kattupalli boycotted elections in protest for employment that has been pending for 13 years now. In 2008, 140 fishermen families from Kattupalli village were relocated to establish a shipbuilding yard, with the company's obligation to provide permanent employment to each family.
>Vedampattu village in Villupuram
Over 600 voters in Vedampattu village in Villupuram district boycotted elections alleging that the district administration ignored their long-overdue demand to have a medical waste factory removed from their village. When the Election Tahsildar reached the village to pacify and persuade the people to vote, he was asked to leave by the villagers.
>Nellaithiruthu village in Tirunelveli
Residents of the Nellaithiruthu village, which is a part of the Tirunelveli parliamentary constituency, chose not to cast their votes in the elections citing the lack of drinking water.
>Eganapuram and Nagapattu villages in Kancheepuram
Residents of Eganapuram and Nagapattu villages in the Kancheepuram district chose not to participate in the Lok Sabha elections to protest the establishment of the Parandur airport, which they fear would severely affect their livelihood.
>Avalur village in Ranipet
Over 1,200 voters from Avalur village in the Ranipet district boycotted the elections to stress on their long-standing demand to build an overbridge on the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway, close to their village in order to reduce accidents.
>Jothihalli village in Dharmapuri
Residents of the Jothihalli village in P. Chettihalli panchayat in Dharmapuri district chose not to exercise their right to vote as their request for a railway bridge in their village has not been fulfilled yet.
>Seerangampatti village in Dindigul
Over 300 villagers protested and boycotted the polls in the Dindigul district’s Seerangampatti village, which is part of the Ooralipatti panchayat and falls under the Natham assembly constituency. They said that their elected representatives had neglected to provide them with basic services for more than 20 years now. There are 455 voters in the village in total and in their houses, they hoisted black flags and sang anti-government and anti-election slogans.
>Virudhachalam village in Cuddalore
Residents in the Cuddalore parliamentary constituencies, close to Virudhachalam, boycotted the polls to protest their lack of access to essential amenities.
>Four villages in Cuddalore
Four villages in Cuddalore–Eripalayam, Viruthagirikuppam, Pudu Viruthagirikuppam, and Katchi Perimanatham– boycotted the elections due to the government's failure to meet their demands to recognize the two villages as separate panchayats. They had threatened to boycott the elections earlier.
>Sitheri village in Villupuram
520 voters including members of the Scheduled Caste and converted Christians from Sitheri village in the Villupuram district boycotted the polls over caste discrimination at the polling booth, which was outside their panchayat limit on Friday, April 19.