Hyderabad: Upset with political parties for not fulfilling their demands and losing interest in the municipal elections, many voters have decided to convert the voting day holiday on Tuesday, December 1, into long weekend and escape from the city.
The offices of IT companies, medical and pharmaceutical firms and other organisations have received leave applications for Monday. Only the sales personnel who have to meet month-end targets will be at work.
Schools have declared a holiday to commemorate Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary and Tuesday is a holiday on account of the elections.
Families have tied up these two holidays with the weekend to journey outside the city. Long road trips, adventure resorts and outings have been planned; the weather has been pleasant and the water bodies are brimming with water.
On Saturday, many students told their teachers they could not join the online classes due to network issues as they were travelling. When the teachers contacted the parents, they found that the families had left on a holiday.
B.V. Raju, a techie, said, “There is no party that is talking about dealing with the city’s issues. Every part of the city has its own problems. In Madhapur and HiTec City areas, the water woes begin in January. Is anyone talking about resolving this problem? Why should we vote for any party?”
People in the Old City and Secunderabad too say that that their complaints regarding roads, drainage, sewers, infrastructure and encroached lakes are not attended to.
M.A. Jaffery, a businessman from the Old City, asked, “We do not find any political party working for the development of the Old City. Why should we vote in these elections.”
Many of those who are leaving the city for the weekend or have decided to stay at home are being asked to queue up and use the NOTA option. They are not interested. stating that it is of no use.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, few senior citizens are expected to be seen at the polling booths.
Given their conditions, it is only the middle-aged and young who will opt for voting on Tuesday. Analysts state that these are constant warning signals from people that they are not happy with the political leaders. Will absenteeism help in better governance, is the question.
