J&K Assembly Elections: Gujjar Community In Banihal Threatens To Boycott Polls

Banihal (J&K): Banihal, located in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, is one of the 90 Assembly constituencies in the Union Territory eagerly awaiting the upcoming elections. 

The Gujjar community in a village near Banihal town has threatened to boycott the elections unless their demands for basic facilities are met. The villagers claim that despite their proximity to Banihal and the National Highway, they remain deprived of essential services such as water, roads, and electricity.

"We don't have roads. Our children are not able to walk to school. Even there aren't proper poles for electricity transmission lines. The line is hanging on trees that pose a threat to the lives of people. We live on the top of the hill and don't have even a water facility. No one is listening to us," a local resident said. 

"We don't have electricity, water, roads and other basic facilities. If someone falls ill what will we do in the absence of roads? We are a family of labourers and live hand to mouth. Roads are such that our shoes wear out in a few days. We don't have schools in the vicinity. What have these politicians given us? We will not vote if our demands aren't fulfilled," the resident added.

Locals say the roads in the area have not been repaired for a long time, severely impacting their daily activities, and allege that politicians rarely visit to understand their problems.

"We never reach on time whenever we have to go for exams or to school or college. There is no road here. It has been 12 years since this road started being built, but it is still not finished. These people (politicians) come to ask for our votes at 10 p.m. but only visit the lower parts of the village and leave. If they (candidates) come to us and promise us development for the next 5 years, we will drag them here and show them our problems, demanding they be solved. If they promise to solve these issues, we will cast our votes; otherwise, we won’t," Ruksana Banu, another resident said.

Villagers quip that the area has been neglected for so long that it feels as if no development has occurred in the past 70 years.