Tamil Nadu Village Boycotts Election For Panchayat President As Post Was Reserved For Dalit Candidate

Thoothukudi, December 27: In a shameful incident that shows caste discrimination still exists, an entire village in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi refused to participate in an election for the panchayat president's post because the seat was reserved for a Dalit woman. Of 785 eligible voters in Pitchavilai village, only six belonging to the Dalit community cast their votes on Friday. Tamil Nadu: Dalits 'Airdrop' Dead Body From Atop 20-Foot-High Bridge After Being Denied Access to Crematorium in Tirupattur.

The other 779 voters, belonging to the Nadar community, boycotted the election and hoisted black flags outside their homes. Officials urged people to step out and vote but four polling booths in the village wore a deserted look. Although some young members of the Nadar community wanted to vote, they were stopped by elders. The majority community is of the view that the seat allocation was unfair. Lower Caste Members Can be Pujari in Temples, Rules Uttarakhand High Court.

"We are more in number but weren't allowed to put up a candidate of our choice. That is why we boycotted the election and didn't vote as a mark of protest," Madisudu Perumal, a resident of Pitchavilai village, told News18. Ajith Kumar, another resident, expressed similar views. "We have 785 votes. We were not allocated a seat, that is why we did not vote. Since we were not allowed to contest for the president post, we decided not to vote. Why should we vote for them?" he said.

Apart from the panchayat president’s post, elections were held for the posts of panchayat ward member, panchayat union councillor and panchayat district councillor also went to the post in phase one of local body polls.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2019 09:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).