Team of officials rush to convince Beechanakuppe villagers who are demanding polling booth since previous LS polls

Srirangapatna: Villagers of Beechanakuppe in Srirangapatna Assembly constituency are demanding a new polling booth. This is a long-pending demand and if it is not fulfilled, the villagers have decided to boycott the forthcoming Gram Panchayat (GP) elections. 

Learning about the boycott plan, a team led by Tahsildar M.V. Roopa, Taluk Executive Officer Bhyrappa, Sub-Inspector of KRS Police Station Naveen Gowda and Revenue Inspector Umesh rushed to the village yesterday and urged the villagers not to boycott elections.

Beechanakuppe comes under Hulikere Gram Panchayat limits and the villagers had boycotted the last Lok Sabha elections demanding a new polling booth. Later the villagers were convinced to vote by officers and Election Commission representatives. 

It is a revenue village and there is no polling booth. But the officers have granted a polling booth to the neighbouring Mulugade village, Hosahundawadi. Beechanakuppe village has not seen an iota of development since the last 35 years and the roads are not asphalted. There is no drainage system and the village is constantly plagued by communicable diseases. 

The villagers say that though there were 260 eligible voters, the officers have not established a polling booth at the village. The demand for a polling booth is not a recent one. The villagers are demanding a booth since 2017. 

When the villagers decided to boycott the last Mandya Lok Sabha elections, election officers and the Tahsildar visited the village and convinced the villagers to vote. An assurance was given to the villagers that Beechanakuppe would get a polling booth in the next election. But that assurance has not been fulfilled and the villagers are back on protest mode. 

However, the official team that visited the village categorically told the villagers that a poll booth cannot be set up urgently. Rather they would inform the higher officers about the demand. 

Regarding development of the village, the officials assured them that soon after the Panchayat election, an action plan would be prepared for road, drainage and street-lighting facilities.