No electricity, toilets for past 16 years: 50 families in Trichy village to boycott Tamil Nadu polls

Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 26 (ANI): Over 50 families in Nandavanam, Tiruchirappalli, who have been living without electricity, water, or toilets for 16 years has announced a boycott of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Thangaraj, a local resident of Nandavanam, said on Tuesday that the residents have been completely overlooked by the government since the time they were relocated from their original residence near the National Highway when it was extended.
He said that they have not been provided with basic requirements such as electricity, water, or support for agriculture.
"The place where you are standing is called Nandavanam, located in Tamil Nadu. For the last 16 years, people here have been living without electricity. These residents originally lived near the National Highway (NH), but when the highway was extended, the government of that time relocated them to this spot. Since then, they have been forgotten... 4 Chief Ministers have come and gone. No one has provided the basic requirements for human survival, such as electricity or support for agriculture," he said.
He added that despite submitting numerous petitions to the Tamil Nadu government, no action has been taken by the government to benefit the community.
"Consequently, the residents have decided to boycott the upcoming election until the government fulfils their request for basic amenities," he said.
Another local resident, Saroja, echoed a similar ache, saying that the political parties make false promises at the time of elections; however, none of them has been fulfilled yet. Sharing her order, Saroja said during the rainy season, snakes and other dangerous creatures creep inside their homes due to the lack of electricity.
"For the past 16 years, we have been living in this hut without electricity and toilet facilities. During every election, all political parties make promises, but none of them has fulfilled them. We have been repeatedly neglected and continue to suffer without basic amenities like electricity, drinking water, and sanitation. Due to the lack of electricity, especially during the rainy season, snakes and other dangerous creatures enter our homes. Without proper lighting, our lives are constantly at risk from these animals," she said.
"Still, no political party has come forward to provide us with even basic facilities. Therefore, we have decided to boycott the upcoming Assembly elections," she added.
Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, with counting scheduled for May 4.
The main electoral contest is expected between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which also includes Congress, DMDK, and the VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by AIADMK with the BJP and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) as allies.
Actor-turned-politician Vijay is set to make his electoral debut with TVK, attempting to turn the upcoming elections into a three-way contest. (ANI)