A group of ten unsung heroes has helped nearly 2,000 Yanadi tribal people to enrol as voters, enabling them to exercise their right to franchise in the general elections 2019.
The group, led by 36-year-old Nakka Vijaya Babu, has focused on the six mandals of Nagayalanka, Koduru, Machilipatnam, Pedana, Bantumilli, and Krithivennu, where they covered 1,520 families with a total population of 4,597.
In 2016, the group registered a society — Krishna District Yanadi Girijana Aikya Sangham — in order to be directly involved in creating awareness on education and identification of various government welfare schemes.
Nomadic tribe
The Yanadi is a nomadic tribe. Officials concerned could not meet the Yanadi families as the latter mostly travel from one place to another in search of livelihood in every season within the district. A huge number of families live in the mangrove forest and marshy lands to hunt wild crabs and fish.
“The nature of livelihood practices of our tribe is the prime impediment to taking part in societal activities. Lack of education would further distance our tribe from awareness of our political rights and the importance of our vote,” said Mr. Vijaya Babu, claiming that nearly half of the newly enrolled voters are first-time voters in the six mandals.
“Many in the age group of 20-40 would be voting for the first time in the forthcoming elections. Our immediate job is to ensure that each of them cast their vote in the general elections,” Mr. Vijaya Babu told The Hindu.
Towards greater inclusion
Bhavanari Pawan Kumar, an undergraduate dropout, Ila Nagendramma, and M. Srinivas are the other members of the group that zeroed in on the Yanadi families to help them enrol for the voter registration process and submit the necessary documents. In 2016, then Joint Collector Gandham Chandrudu had launched a special drive to issue Aadhaar cards to the Yanadi tribals.
In 2013, 45-year-old crab hunter Nakka Hanumanthu had contested from Marripalem panchayat in Diviseema, thus becoming the first person from the Yanadi tribe to contest in the local body elections since Independence.
Until now, no political party has considered the Yanadi tribe’s votebank as a game-changer. In the existing political scenario, the Yanadis are likely to draw attention from the political parties in Machilipatnam parliament segment.