Only three votes were polled in Kavunji village in upper Kodaikanal hills till 9 a.m. on Monday during the second phase of the rural local body election. The villagers also hoisted black flags in their houses and boycotted the election.
They have been protesting for the past couple of days and threatened to boycott the polls, as one ward from the village was annexed with Poondi panchayat.
The village has three wards that were originally part of Mannavanur panchayat. The people had been demanding that Kavunji village, which has a population of 3,200 and 2,154 voters, be declared a separate panchayat.
“We are boycotting the election as our demand has not been paid heed to. Being part of either Mannavanur or Poondi panchayat has not benefited us,” said Balakrishnan, a villager.
