As the Lok Sabha elections draw near, residents of a hamlet in the Gauriganj tehsil of Amethi have taken a bold stance, putting up a banner outside their village with a clear message: "no road, no vote", highlighting their ongoing struggle and grievances.
The banner appeared outside Purey Alpi Tiwari hamlet in Sarmeny village under Jamo block, serving as a poignant reminder of the community's plight. Locals have voiced their frustration, even raising slogans to underscore their demands.
Amethi, historically known as a VVIP constituency, has long been associated with the Nehru-Gandhi family until Union Minister Smriti Irani clinched the seat in 2019, marking a significant political shift.
Responding to the villagers' protest, Gauriganj SDM Digvijay Singh assured that the administration is attentive to their concerns and committed to investigating the matter further.
Omprakash Ojha, a resident of the hamlet, said that there are seven small roads connecting the village to nearby areas but all of them are unpaved.
"Due to lack of access to the village, we have to perform the marriages of our sons and daughters elsewhere. Even bikes cannot move here during the rain. There is no drainage system," Ojha said.
"There is no proper arrangement for drinking water. The scheme of providing tap water to every house under the Jal Jeevan Mission has not yet reached our village. Even the water tap pipeline under the scheme has not been laid here," he added.
Another local Ram Abhilash said there has been no development in Sarmeny since independence. "We are continuously complaining but no one has given any thought to it. Now all of us have made up our mind that until our problems are not resolved, we will boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections."
After 1976 when Sanjay Gandhi was elected from Amethi, barring a brief period, the seat was represented by members of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Rajiv Gandhi became the prime minister after being elected from the seat.
The constituency is presently represented by Irani who defeated Congress' Rahul Gandhi in 2019.
A week ago, the people of Bhawanipur village of Sangrampur development block here had also put up a similar banner with the slogan "no road, no vote" and the administration had promptly met the villagers and pacified them.
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