The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : No nominations this time too

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 17, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

No nominations this time too

By S. Vijay Kumar

MADURAI, SEPT. 16. Efforts to conduct a byelection for the posts of president in the three reserved panchayats of Pappapatti, Keeripatti and Nattarmangalam in Madurai district became futile yet again with no nomination having been filed for the September 27 poll till 3 p.m. today. Today was the last day for filing papers.

While the dominant caste Hindus maintained their `no-poll-till-dereservation' stand, Dalits in these villages kept away from the election process. Despite the steps by the State Election Commission to persuade both sides to arrive at an understanding to facilitate the electoral process, not a single candidate from the caste-sensitive villages turned up to file nominations.

Right from day one, the oppressed sections were in no mood to encounter the ballot, perhaps, in the backdrop of successive let-downs in the past. Drought and poverty, in the Thevar-dominated locality, have further weakened the Dalits, who have been suffering discrimination, to stake their claim for political empowerment.

Elections getting stalled for want of candidates has become a routine affair in these reserved panchayats over the years. Despite sustained efforts by the official machinery to conduct the polls, Thevars have stuck to their long-pending demand for dereserving the three panchayats.

When some Dalit outfits intervened to field a candidate at Pappapatti last year, the caste Hindus forced a Dalit candidate of their choice into the fray and engineered his victory. But the new president resigned his post on day one making a mockery of the whole exercise.

Drought impact

Apart from caste equations, drought has had its impact on the elections. The dwindling economy in this region has forced half the electorate to migrate to northern parts of the State and the country for employment. The persistent drought has left many of us jobless and we are in no mood for a contest or confrontation," says M. Karuppan, a Dalit of Karayanpatti (Pappapatti panchayat).

Election in the Kottakatchiyendhal reserved panchayat in Virudhunagar district will also remain stalled with no nominations.

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