Vexed at being ‘left out’, voters protest, demand money for their votes near Pollachi

COIMBATORE: Residents of Kottur blocked the main road to Pollachi on Monday upset that they had been left out of a cash-for-votes distribution by a political party. The residents alleged people in several areas of Kottur had got the money and only households in their locality had been left out. They demanded that they too be given money.Police told the protesters that demanding and accepting money for votes was a criminal offence. The crowd dispersed after police warned they would register cases for unlawful assembly and obstructing a public road.Officials said the district administration had received several complaints about money distribution, but this appeared to be the first protest this election over being excluded from such payouts.Flying squads and static surveillance teams have been asked to intensify patrolling in the Kottur area to trace the source of the alleged cash distribution. A local social activist said the incident showed how deep rooted such practices had become, with people now treating cash for votes as an entitlement.