Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | Over 400 villagers boycott voting in Jharkhand's Dumka

Dumka, Jharkhand: Over 400 people in a village in Dumka district boycotted voting in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday to protest against the construction of a coal dumping yard, an official said.

A total of 426 voters did not exercise their franchise at booth number 94 in Bagdubhi village, a part of the Dumka Lok Sabha constituency, he said.

“Out of 430 voters enrolled in the booth, only four electors have exercised their franchise till 3 pm,” Dumka Circle Officer Amar Kumar told PTI.

He said the villagers have been protesting against the construction of the Railways’ coal dumping yard.

Sub-divisional Officer Ajay Kumar held a meeting with the villagers and assured them of raising the issue with higher authorities. However, they did not agree to vote.

A representative of the village, Lakshman Soren, told PTI, “We made it clear that if the SDO gives us an assurance in writing to stop the construction of the yard, we will go to cast our votes. But, we were not given any such assurance.”

A voter turnout of 60.14 per cent was recorded till 3 pm in three Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand, where voting is underway in the final phase of polling on Saturday, officials said.

Around 53.23 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda, where polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | Will it be Narendra Modi's 'Viksit Bharat' or Rahul Gandhi's I.N.D.I.A.? As the world's largest democracy votes to choose its future, track live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

Assembly Elections 2024 | Don't miss out on our detailed coverage of the polls in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. Subscribe and follow DH on Whatsapp, X, Facebook, and Instagram to never miss out on anything.