No Voting At Two Polling Booths In Patna’s Fatuha As Villagers Boycott Polls, ECI Reacts
Despite officials' efforts, Nizampur villagers refused to vote, citing unresolved complaints and police harassment, highlighting a crisis of trust in local governance and the electoral process.
Two polling booths in Patna district recorded zero voting during the first phase of the Bihar polls as villagers boycotted the polling over land dispute. No voter turned up at two polling booths, Nos. 165 and 166, set up at the primary school in Nizampur village under the Fatuha Assembly constituency in Patna district.
Voting took place across 121 seats in 18 districts, but these two booths stood out for complete voter boycott. Despite polling officials and security personnel arriving at the site as early as 5 a.m., no voter turned up until polling ended at 5:30 p.m.
BLO Informed Senior Officials
Booth Level Officer (BLO) Sanjay Kumar informed ABP News that he had repeatedly tried to convince villagers to vote, distributing slips door-to-door, but to no avail. “We informed senior officials, and even after they came and spoke to the villagers, no one agreed to cast their vote,” he said.
According to the BLO, polling booth number 165 has 743 registered voters, while booth number 166 has 886 voters—yet not a single vote was recorded at either location. “It was a complete boycott,” he confirmed.
Villagers Explain Reason for Boycott
When ABP News reached out to the villagers, they claimed they were protesting against alleged land grabbing by local “land mafia” in collusion with police officials. “Several acres of our community land have been encroached upon. We have complained to officials at every level, but no action has been taken. Neither has our land been returned nor have the culprits faced consequences,” one villager said.
They further alleged that police have been harassing them and filing false cases instead of helping. While the administration has yet to verify these claims, the complete boycott of voting at both booths raises serious questions about local governance and public trust in the electoral process.
ECI Reacts
Bihar Chief Electoral Officer, Vinod Gunjyal said confirmed the reports of boycott. Addressing a press conference in Patna, the CEO said, "Information about boycotts was also received at some polling stations, including polling station number 56 in the Brahmapur assembly constituency of Buxar district, polling stations number 165 and 166 in the Fatuha assembly constituency, and polling stations number 1, 2, and 5 in Suryagarha, near Lakhisarai."
"No untoward incidents have been reported in the first phase of voting that concluded today. Voting was conducted peacefully and smoothly," he added.
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