Hyderabad: 3-day holiday may impact voter turnout, fear parties

Rajendranagar: Ahead of polling day, several apartments in the city and surrounding areas have turned fully or partially empty as a number of families left for native places to avail of three days of holidays, which began on Sunday and would conclude on polling day. Sunday is followed by Gurunanak Jayanthi/Karthika Purnima on Monday and the polling day.

Though all the political parties are desperately devise strategies to increase polling percentage on poll day neither the party cadre nor the voters are showing any enthusiasm, triggering the possibility of repeating the same lukewarm response seen during the last election.

Asha workers deputed to distribute voter slips were shocked to see that most of the doors shut in apartments at Attapur, Hyderguda and other surrounding areas. "Upon visiting the apartments to distribute voter slips, we were surprised to see that two out of five houses were locked. It was learnt they left for their native place as there are three three holidays in row," said, an Asha worker at Attapur, on condition of anonymity.

"Officials have instructed us to complete the voter slip distribution process before poling day. However, many of the houses are locked. How can we distribute voter slips when the people are not there in their homes?" asked another Asha worker. "People are largely trying to escape from franchising their democratic rights.

The absence of voters will surely reflect in the polling percentage," bemoaned Kamelakar Jitendar, a social activist from Attapur.