Phase 1 of the Gujarat polls saw a 68% turnout
Ahmedabad:
Zero voting was recorded at Gajadi village in the Morbi district of Gujarat today as the locals, fed up with water shortage, boycotted polling in the first phase of the Gujarat assembly election.
While long lines were seen outside polling booths in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the first phase of Assembly polls, none among the 1,000 registered voters in Gajadi turned up to cast their votes, officials said.
The village, though situated in the Tankara tehsil of Morbi, comes under the Kalavad constituency of the Jamnagar district.
The district administration said they tried their best to persuade villagers to vote.
"Villagers had announced a few months ago that they will refrain from voting. Their main grievance was about water supply. Though the village is being supplied water through a pipeline, they claimed it was not enough and demanded another pipeline," said Morbi Collector and District Election Officer IK Patel.
"Even today senior officials went to the village and urged them to cast vote. But no one turned up at the polling booth," he added.
"When we told them there are plans to lay a new pipeline, villagers asked us to give the assurance on paper. As the model code of conduct was in place, it was not possible to give it in writing. Such an assurance on the day of polling would also set a wrong precedent," the Collector added.
While long lines were seen outside polling booths in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the first phase of Assembly polls, none among the 1,000 registered voters in Gajadi turned up to cast their votes, officials said.
The village, though situated in the Tankara tehsil of Morbi, comes under the Kalavad constituency of the Jamnagar district.
The district administration said they tried their best to persuade villagers to vote.
"Villagers had announced a few months ago that they will refrain from voting. Their main grievance was about water supply. Though the village is being supplied water through a pipeline, they claimed it was not enough and demanded another pipeline," said Morbi Collector and District Election Officer IK Patel.
"Even today senior officials went to the village and urged them to cast vote. But no one turned up at the polling booth," he added.
"When we told them there are plans to lay a new pipeline, villagers asked us to give the assurance on paper. As the model code of conduct was in place, it was not possible to give it in writing. Such an assurance on the day of polling would also set a wrong precedent," the Collector added.
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