Bhograi: People of Sankhamedi village under this block in Balasore district located adjacent to the West Bengal border cast their votes for the Lok Sabha constituencies in East and West Midnapore districts in the sixth phase of general elections underway in the neighbouring state, Saturday.
Several voters of 12 villages in Balasore and some from Mayurbhanj also voted in the elections for the East and West Midnapore Lok Sabha constituencies of West Bengal. Similarly, over 235 voters in Ward No. 18 of Sankhamedi village under Analia panchayat of Bhograi block voted for the candidates of Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal.
The villagers cast their votes at Bagbrajakishore and West Santeswarpur Primary School in Ramnagar block of West Bengal. Ward member Jyotshna Jena of Sankhamedi village confirmed the development. She admitted that the eligible voters in the village have voted in the election of Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal.
Meanwhile, voters in the village are now preparing to vote in the election of Bhograi Assembly seat and Balasore Lok Sabha constituency scheduled to be held in the final phase of polls in Odisha, June 1. They will cast their votes at the booth set up at Analia Primary School under Bhograi block.
The residents of Udayapur, Sahabajipur, Dakhinasarisa, Bajitpur, Narsinghpur, Ganeswarpur, Panisandha, Upula, Sagadasahi and several other villages under Bhograi block bordering West Bengal are also learnt to have sneaked into the booths of the neighbouring state and voted for their candidates.
Similarly, the dwellers of Raibania and adjoining villages under Jaleswar Assembly constituency in Balasore district were also learnt to have voted for the candidates of West Midnapore Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal.
Sources said that the population of Sankhamedi village under Bhograi Assembly constituency is over 400. The Odisha government has established Anganwadi centre, school, toilets there and provided the villagers ration cards, pension and allowances, power and water supply.
This fringe village has a long-standing border dispute with the two Midnapore districts in West Bengal since 1978 while the state government has stopped collecting revenue from this village since 1962.
The village youths have been deprived of availing higher education as the Odisha government has failed to provide them caste certificates. The soul and body of the villagers reside in Odisha but they are psychologically inclined towards West Bengal as the neighbouring state has included the villagers in its housing schemes and provides them ration and many more government assistance.
PNN
