Braving threats, border dwellers vote for peace

Dinesh Manhotra and Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Londi (IB), April 18

Visually impaired Jarnail Singh, 69, was the first one to vote at the polling station in Londi village which is located on the Zero Line along the International Border (IB). He cast his vote for “lasting peace” in the border area and to “strengthen democracy”.

As there was no mechanism for the visually impaired voters to cast their ballots in the polling station, Jarnail Singh was assisted by his nephew Ranjit Singh.

There was much enthusiasm among inhabitants of the village to vote braving threats from across the border.

“The village has always set an example for others as turnout has remained more than 80 per cent in every election,” Dev Raj, sarpanch of the Londi panchayat told The Tribune, adding, “Despite being termed a hypersensitive polling station, we have always set a voting record.”

The zeal among locals could be gauged from the fact that at 3 pm, out of 746 voters, 75 per cent had already cast their ballot. “Our votes are for lasting peace, development and democracy,” Ganesh Kumar, a resident said. “As our village is situated on the Zero Line, we also want to convey a message to the neighbouring country,” he said.

Although promises made to the inhabitants of this Dalit-dominated village are yet to be fulfilled, locals have shown tremendous faith in democracy. Out of 290 families of the village, nearly 160 belong to the Scheduled Castes.

“The authorities had promised to construct 180 individual safety bunkers, but only 35 have been constructed so far,” lamented the sarpanch, adding, “the work on the remaning bunkers is going on at a snail’s pace”.