The people of Kuttanad, devastated by two back-to-back floods, are still recovering and rebuilding their lives. But on Tuesday, nothing stopped them from exercising their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections.
At St. Mary’s High School, Kainakary, watermarks on walls bear testimony to the catastrophic floods that hit the region more than eights months ago. Saramma, a septuagenarian has come to cast her vote with her daughter-in-law and grandchildren. As the queue in front of the polling booth is long and moving at a snail’s pace, she sat on the verandah of the school waiting for her turn to vote.
“These are difficult times. The floods have taken everything and crippled our lives. But, when it comes to elections, I have never deliberately missed voting in my life. Every single vote counts,” she said.
As the voting began at 7 a.m., people turned up in large numbers at polling stations across the Kuttanad Assembly segment under the Mavelikara Lok Sabha constituency. The booth at St. Mary’s School witnessed around 45% polling by noon.
Long queues
Long queues, some of them serpentine, were visible at polling booths at Champakulam, Mankombu and other parts of the region. Although, the voting witnessed a lull around midday, the momentum picked up again in the afternoon. Nearly, 60% of electorates cast their votes by 4 p.m. in Kuttanad. Apart from the glitches in electronic voting machines, which delayed polling in some of the booths, voting was by and large peaceful in the region.
Even as people thronged the polling stations, there were voters critical of politicians. Annamma C., a retired school teacher, said it was her responsibility to cast ballot in a democratic process, but the government and politicians had failed to address their grievances. “My house was damaged in the floods. But, no one from the government visited my home to assess the damage and I am yet to receive any assistance,” she said.
As a waterlogged region, the Election Commission has deployed boats and made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of polling in Kuttanad.