18 Voters Walk Miles, Carry Elderly in Makeshift Dolis to Demand Roads in ASR Villages
In a remarkable display of determination, 18 residents from remote hilltop villages in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district walked several miles to reach polling stations during the Parishad elections on Thursday.
Villagers exercise voting rights for the first time in nearly 80 years, hoping their participation will finally bring road connectivity
In a remarkable display of determination, 18 residents from remote hilltop villages in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district walked several miles to reach polling stations during the Parishad elections on Thursday. Carrying elderly residents in makeshift dolis, the villagers raised slogans demanding road connectivity for their habitations.
“We are voting for the first time so that our villages get roads,” the residents said while making their way through the difficult terrain.
The villagers said they were exercising their voting rights for the first time in nearly 80 years. To ensure that elderly residents could also participate in the democratic process, they carried them on makeshift wooden and cloth stretchers known as dolis.
Despite nearly eight decades of Independence, these remote settlements continue to lack motorable road connectivity. Residents are forced to travel on foot through difficult routes to reach nearby villages, healthcare facilities and other essential services.
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The villagers said their participation in the elections was driven by the hope that elected representatives would finally address their long-pending demand for basic infrastructure. For them, casting their votes was not merely about choosing political representatives but also about seeking a better future for their communities.
Polling for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) elections is being conducted across Andhra Pradesh, with vote counting scheduled for November 7.
A similar situation was witnessed in Andhra Pradesh’s tribal Agency areas during previous monsoon seasons, when heavy rains and landslides disrupted access to remote villages. Residents were forced to carry patients in makeshift dolis for medical treatment, highlighting the long-standing lack of road connectivity and basic infrastructure.
