Voters dejected as candidates put little effort in rural areas

Coimbatore: Every time speakers mounted on vehicles blare announcing road shows, children and parents rush to the streets alike to take a close look at the candidate of their constituency. But before they make it to the junction, where the candidates deliver speeches, the vehicles move on to the next area.
Denied even a fleeting glimpse of their Lok Sabha poll candidates and favourite party honchos, people in the city’s outskirts and rural areas feel like they’re on the fringes of the contesting parties’ map for development.

“It’s been a month since the campaign started and candidates of all major parties have spoken at a major junction in our village. But not one of them stepped down from the vehicle and spoke to us villagers,” said R Sivagami, from Kaniyur village on the city’s outskirts. As the campaign vehicles do not enter villages and only pass through the main roads, most residents do not even know about the campaign, she said.

“When we voters have to try hard to get a better glimpse of the candidate, members of their own party greet them with shawls,” she said, asking how getting introduced to their cadres over and over again would help.

“When I first voted in Parliamentary elections about 30 years ago, Lok Sabha candidates along with the local party members would visit us to introduce themselves. They would try to create a bond at least till the end of election. But those days are long gone,” said R Arumugam from Sulur panchayat.

“The candidates speak only about the negatives of their rivals and have not even asked us about our problems. If they aren’t aware of our woes, what would they speak on behalf of us at the Parliament,” he questioned.

A group of villagers from Kannampalayam village said there were four to five people standing on top of the campaign vehicle during a road show and they were not sure which one was the candidate. The villagers, mostly dailywagers, had skipped work and waited for hours together in the scorching sun to welcome the candidate. They lost both their wages and the chance to meet the candidates. They would cast their vote mainly so it is not misused, the villagers said. “Ruling parties change, candidates change, but there is no change in our lives,” they added.

Meanwhile, representatives from political parties said it was extremely difficult to stop and interact with members of the public due to huge population and time constraints. They rush through to ensure they cover all the parts of the constituencies, they added.