Deep-sea fishers likely to skip voting

While the Election Commission is undertaking steps to achieve 100% voting in the May 16 assembly election, a sizeable number of deep sea fishermen from western coast of Kanyakumari may not vote as they are away on fishing expeditions quite far from the shore. However, fishermen on shorter fishing trips (5 to 7 days) will return to shore before the election date to exercise their franchise.
There are around 1,500 deep sea fishing vessels that belong to Thoothoor coastal panchayat and surrounding villages operating from fishing harbours of Kerala. Each fishing boat may require 10 to 12 member for deep sea fishing expeditions. It takes 15 days to one month to sail as far as 1,000 nautical miles in search of fish.
It will be very difficult to cut short such a fishing expedition and return to shore to cast their votes, according to fishermen activists. "The fishing ban period in western coast will start on June 15 and fishermen should make most of income before the ban starts. Hence, it is unlikely they may return to shore for polls cutting short their fishing trip," mentioned a fishermen activist from the region.
In coastal districts, election officials went to fishing harbours and travelled into sea to sensitize fishermen to cast their votes. The effort is likely to yield result in eastern coast, where 45-day fishing ban is in effect since April 15.
However, the 45-day fishing ban will not cover coastal villages in western coast of Kanyakumari.
"Our fishermen miss out on elections most of the time as it takes place in the month of May," stated Jose Bilbin, president of Deep Sea Fishermen Federation in Thoothoor.
"Neither assembly election nor Lok Sabha election excites local people and fishermen. Only panchayat elections will cut-short their expedition since candidates will be their relatives," Bilbin said.
Moreover, there are hardly any fishermen candidates in the current election fray. Though they consist of 40% of population in Kanyakumari district, not even a single political party fielded candidates from the community, fishermen said. But majority of fishermen in western coast undertaking short trips will return to the shore on the election date.
"Our fishermen will plan in such a way to return to shore on the election day and vote," said V Franklin, secretary of Colachel Fishermen Association.