Baran, Rajasthan: While polling booths across Rajasthan’s Anta Assembly constituency saw long queues on Tuesday, one small village in Baran district stood in silent protest. In Sankli, only one vote was cast — a symbolic gesture amid an almost complete boycott by its 763 residents, who say they have been forgotten by the system.
Their decision, villagers said, was born out of frustration and years of neglect.
“All five roads connecting Sankli to nearby villages get submerged during every monsoon. For days, we remain cut off from the outside world,”
said Vinod Meena, a resident, standing near an unpaved road that has become a symbol of their struggle.
At the heart of their anger is what they describe as the administration’s decades-long indifference.
“There is no proper road even to the cremation ground,”
said Sonu, another local.
“When someone dies, carrying the body through the muddy, broken path becomes a painful journey.”
For farmer Hariom, the boycott was not an impulsive act of rebellion but a planned protest.
“We have submitted memorandums and met officials several times. Even before this election, we warned them — if our demands aren’t met, we won’t vote,” he explained.
An Empty Polling Station, a Silent Protest
At Sankli’s polling booth, ballot boxes lay untouched and polling officials waited in vain. No crowd, no queues, no slogans — only silence. The stillness, residents said, was their message to those in power: that democracy begins with dignity, and for them, dignity begins with something as basic as a road.
Officials confirmed that voting elsewhere in Anta constituency remained peaceful, with turnout rising gradually through the day. But the empty booth in Sankli stood out as a stark reminder of how development gaps continue to alienate rural India from the political process.
“The silence in Sankli speaks louder than any slogan,”
said a local journalist covering the bypoll.
“It’s a protest without shouting — just the sound of people giving up hope.”