North Lakhimpur: Disgruntled voters in a village in Lakhimpur’s Dhakuakhana sub-division on Friday refrained from exercising their universal franchise as first phase polling was held across the district.
Voters totalling 835 refused to cast their votes in the 144 Ghilaguri Polling Station in Ghilaguri village under 77 Dhakuakhana LAC of 12 Lakhimpur HPC as polling personnel were ready to take vote.
The villagers also erected a notice banner at the entry of the village declaring their decision to boycott the election with the hashtag #nobridge_novote.
Speaking to the media, a group of elderly villagers said that the entire village had decided to boycott the poll in protest of the successive betrayal by elected representatives promising better connectivity to the villages.
They said that the demand for a bridge over the Charikodiya River to connect Ghilaguri village had been ignored by every elected MLA and MP in the last three decades bringing miseries and daily ordeals to the villagers in sending their children to schools and ailing persons to hospitals.
Meanwhile, polling started smoothly across the Lakhimpur district this morning for 12 Lakhimpur HPC in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls.
The voter’s turnout was above 50 per cent till 3 pm.
According to the district returning officer, 55 per cent of voting retorted in Lakhimpur and Ranganadi LAC while 56 per cent of poll in Bihpuria and 57 per cent in Nowboicha were recorded till 3 pm.