Doan (West Champaran): Voters from 22 villages scattered over almost 100 square kms amid dense forests of the Valmiki Tiger reserve and punctuated by numerous criss-crossing Himalayan streams merging into the mighty Masaan river changed course of loyally endorsing the NDA for over two decades by boycotting polls altogether on Tuesday.
Travelling deep through freshly filled mud tracks and shallow streams till late in the evening, this reporter was stopped in his tracks many times over by the deafening silence in this jungle terrain. Polling officials sat idly the whole day, para-military forces dotted the jungle and secured the booths where all the EVMs remained static without any beep.
“There are 712 voters at this booth-350 men and 362 women,” the Presiding officer at booth number 27 at Banwari-Chowkidar tola told this reporter. “ The zonal and super-zonal magistrates had come but no voter had turned up,” he said on being asked if officers had come.
A fortnight earlier, this reporter had found one of the many posters proclaiming boycott of polls in this entire Doon valley, demanding (all weather) roads, bridges over criss-crossing streams, electricity, health care, education and communication.
“We struggle to make calls but there is no internet,” Bishwanath Prasad, at Bankatwa Doan rued that Doan-Vaasis cannot make digital money transfers and children cannot access online classes and tutorials.
“ Jal-Nal gayil dakhin (The tapped water scheme has dived south),” Rita Devi, at Semrahani Doan said, adding that even the solar lights have become a ‘dekhawa’ (showpiece).
“ Children and women fall sick and die on the way to hospital,”Ram Dulari Devi mentions of dozens of trips to far away hospitals through the rivers in spate during monsoons that turn fatal.
Villagers say that their unending odyssey with hardship, despite voting loyally for Modi-Nitish, got triggered into thinking of poll boycott when a pregnant woman being transported on a tractor-trolley for delivery was washed away by the strong current in the river. “Many die on the way to hospital. The numbers are beyond count,” Banu Yadav, at Shitalbari, said.
“ No Neta, no hakim has come to address our problems. Probably, this boycott will bring some succour,” Raj Kishore Mahto, a farmer, hopes.
Bankatwa Doan houses two booths-number 11 and 12. With 387 men and 348 women, all 735 voters remained absent at the former. 660 voters-336 men and 324 women- likewise boycotted the poll at the latter booth.
The story was similar in all village booths, separated by swathes of jungle cover, earthen tracks and streams. An obvious question popped up: Weren’t Jeevika didis, believed to be the poll clinchers for the NDA with recent cash transfers, motivated to vote themselves?
“Dus hazaar se Vikas hoi?,” Neetu Devi, at Bankatwa, asked, ruing that only 6 out of 12 women in her SHG cluster had got the RS 10K cash transfer. “ Only 7 of our 10 members, Shitla Jeevika, have received the money.
“Sab din Vote daan karat aayil baani jaa (We have doled our votes all along),” Reena Devi became vociferous in disgust and anger: “We are ready to return the Rs 10 thousand (transferred) if our demands are met.”
Paanvati Devi, another Jeevika didi, lost her son-in-law, Pankaj Mahto, just a week back. “There was and never will be any doctor at the health centre,” She remained crestfallen.
Last fortnight, this reporter could not go beyond Champapur with the terrain getting slushy and the streams swollen by the Cyclone Montha induced rains over four days. “You have succeeded in driving into our villages only because the Sugar mill has repaired the tracks this past week,” Rinku Mahto at Sherwa Doan said, leaving unexplained the reason for freshened mud track : With the Sugar Crushing season about to commence, the mill-like every year after monsoons-repairs the track so that sugarcane from the vast acreages abutting the jungle are smoothly transported. Economics of another kind that brings seasonal road access to the Doan!
Rajendra Prasad, at Gobraihia Doan, cracked the rubix cube as to how villages spread far and wide across dense forests and rivers have been unanimous in boycotting of polls. “ Everyone was fed with ‘sajaawati’ (cosmetic) vikas with our basic wants being neglected. “Villagers spoke with people from other villages, the Ghumasthas (Traditional Tharu-Oraon community heads) conferred and with phone calls being intermittently possible, the network rose in unison.”
With darkness falling in this no-network jungle zone, this reporter tried to speed back to a network-available area to file this report. Another spectacle became the last stop: A basketball court where villagers had put their freshly harvested paddy to dry. Next to it, boys were playing soccer in the fading light as the sun dipped behind the Someshwar range.
Accorded Scheduled Tribe Status by the Vajpayee government in 2003 and given dollops of vikas by Nitish, the Doan-vaasis, uptill Tuesday’s poll, had been steadfast NDA voters. Will the boycott help them get to see the new sunrise they aspire where basics are not elusive?
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