Bhograi: It may seem to be incredible, but the fact is that people residing in 12 villages in Balasore bordering West Bengal exercised their franchise in the neighbouring state’s East Medinapore (Kanthi) and West Medinapore parliamentary seats in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls held Sunday.
As many as 230 villagers of Sankhamedi under Bhograi block exercised their franchise in the poll for the Kanthi Lok Sabha seat, while some others in Udaypur, Sahabajipur, Dakshinasaria, Bajitpur, Narsinghpur, Panisandha and Shagadasahi breached the border security cover and voted for candidates in the same parliamentary seat.
Similarly, people in Raibania and neighbouring villages under Jaleswar block have exercised their franchise in West Medinapore, reports said.
Earlier, 250 voters of Sankhamedi had exercised their franchise in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal April 29.
Besides, people residing in bordering villages in Mayurbhanj have voted in elections in West Bengal. Though these villages are in Odisha, some people are inclined towards West Bengal.
The state government has been providing various facilities like schools, Anganwadi centres, ration cards, toilets and electricity to the people in these villages, but revenue collection from the villages has stopped since 1962.
It is alleged that people in these villages have turned away from Odisha because the state government is unable to provide caste certificates to their children, depriving them of higher education.
Most of the people in Sankhamedi belong to the SC category. People of this village are upset over some issues and are detaching themselves from the state and gradually inclining towards West Bengal.
On the other hand, some allege that the authorities in nighbouring West Bengal have been trying to take these villages under their control. Ward members Ajay Jena admitted that some villagers have exercised their franchise in different Lok Sabha constituencies of West Bengal.
PNN