Poor turnout at Nedumkayam station

Tribespeople at the Nedumkayam booth near Nilambur, Malappuram district, after they cast their vote. (Source: Sakeer Hussain)

As many as 272 tribespeople belonging to the primitive Cholanaikar, Kattunaikar and Paniya tribes cast their votes at a high-security polling booth set up in the Nedumkayam forest near Nilambur on Tuesday.

Long distances

Many of them travelled miles through the jungle to reach the polling station. Apart from the police, personnel of the BSF, Thunderbolt, and anti-Naxal force guarded the Nedumkayam polling station in the light of Maoist threat. Booth No.170 at Nedumkayam was the only polling station inside the forest.

While the Cholanaikars living in Mancheeri hamlets more than 15 km inside the forest came in groups, the Kattunaikars of Mundakkadavu hamlet and Paniyars of Nedumkayam hamlets joined them in their “electoral celebrations”.

Among the tribals who polled their votes, 141 were men and 131 were women.

468 votes

The polling station had 468 votes, with 265 men and 203 women.

The tribal polling percentage was, however, way below the district’s average. Nedumkayam witnessed 58.12% polling.

The government had arranged transport facility for the tribespeople of Mancheeri, Poochanala, Mannala, Meenmutty, Pulimunda, Vattikkallu and Chodalapotti hamlets.

A team of police officers led by District Police Chief S. Sujit Das too reached Nedumkayam in view of the enhanced security.