Mahbubabad: Elections in India are usually synonymous with hostility, not only among the contesting candidates but the voters pitching followers of one candidate against the other culminating in fistfights at times. But two villages in Mahbubabad and Nalgonda districts of Telangana have become a symbol of democracy with political symbols prohibited in one village while the voters walk 8 km on foot to reach the nearest polling booth to exercise their franchise.
Usually, when elections approach, there are flags and buntings of political parties at the main intersections of villages and towns. But they are not found in Motla Thimmapuram village in Bayyaram mandal of Mahabubabad district of Telangana. In the middle of the high hills, 5 km away from Bayyaram, the villagers in this village are all tribals with 447 voters.
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All the families follow their culture and traditions and stand as a symbol of social harmony. They stay away from any kind of disputes and have never gone to the police station to settle their disputes. Despite being close to the forest, the Maoists were never allowed to dictate terms to the villagers even when the Maoist influence was at its peak.
No matter what one's views are in terms of politics, the locals said that the flag stands of the parties are not being set up so as not to lose unity among the villagers. Having said that, the villagers are not averse to the democratic process with candidates allowed to campaign for the respective parties during elections.
In Ashegattu Avasa Village located in the Devarakonda Constituency of Nalgonda District, the villagers are determined to exercise their franchise come what may. While many people in cities and towns are not interested in voting even if they are next to the polling booth, locals at Ashegattu village, walk on foot to reach the nearest polling booth to cast their votes.
Despite the village having only 137 voters, the locals take part in the democratic process by walking 8 km on foot to the polling booth set up at Pedgattu. After their village was drowned in the Nagarjunasagar reservoir, 80 tribal families settled in Ashegattu and are living here ever since.
