Madhya Pradesh assembly elections are scheduled for November 17, and all candidates from across the political parties are actively campaigning across the state seeking votes from the public. However, there is a village named Jhandana in the Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh where, unfortunately, no political leader has visited to campaign since the country's independence. In such a situation, the Election Commission has not only appealed to the residents to vote but will also have to make significant efforts to facilitate the electoral process in the village.
Here's how Election Commission will reach Jhandana village
To reach the polling center in Jhandana village before the elections on November 17, poll officials will have to embark on a boat ride carrying the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and then navigate a challenging path on foot in the hilly terrain.
Local residents said that this remote village in the reserved Alirajpur Assembly constituency, with approximately a thousand inhabitants, of which 763 are registered voters from the Scheduled Tribes, has not seen any candidate campaigning in this area. The polling center has been set up in the Gram Panchayat building.
Notably, much of the Jhandana village was submerged years ago, its tribal residents are not willing to leave, eveneven though it means they have to live without basic facilities like a motorable road. Despite being only 60 km away from the district headquarters of Alirajpur, the village appears to be lagging behind in terms of development and infrastructure by several decades. The only visible indication of the upcoming elections is the presence of political party flags displayed on a few houses.
Drinking water is a luxury in this village
The irony is that in this village surrounded by backwaters, and the availability of drinking water is considered a luxury. Locals say that the situation worsens during the summer days. There is a scarcity of water for both humans and animals. Some time ago, the villagers attempted to dig a borewell here, but due to the rocky terrain, no water came out of the borewell.
Prem Singh Solanki, 35, a fisherman, said, “Political leaders had promised in the last elections to provide drinking water to homes, but so far the promise has not been fulfilled. Water is scarce for both humans and cattle.”
Most of the people here speak `Bhili’, local language. Vandana (23), a village resident, said, “There are no proper roads and we have to rely on boats to connect with the outside world. Whenever someone falls sick, we take the person to the nearby hospital in a boat only.”
The woman, who has studied up to Class 10, said surviving here becomes especially difficult when the level of backwaters rises after the rains, and a lot of people have migrated to Gujarat in search of employment.
Villagers are demanding concrete road
Collector Abhay Arvind Bedekar of Alirajpur said that there is an alternative route for the village, but one has to walk for about five kilometers. He mentioned that the villagers are demanding a concrete road, but it would have to pass through forest land. "We have written to the Forest Department for permission to construct the road. Once approved, a concrete road will be built under the Remote Village Road Scheme," said Bedekar.
These are BJP and Congress candidates from this seat
The ruling BJP has fielded Nagar Singh Chouhan from the Alirajpur constituency, while the Congress has nominated the incumbent MLA Mukesh Patel for the upcoming elections.
(With PTI inputs)
