Uttarakhand assembly polls: United voice against illicit liquor during elections

DEHRADUN: Ahead of elections, the menace of illicit liquor is increasingly rearing it's head in Uttarakhand especially in the hills where alcohol is a potent tool to woo voters This time, a number of activists, village bodies and social groups have decided to battle the menace head-on by sensitizing voters, boycotting politicians who use the liquor lure and resorting to judicial intervention to ensure the elections are not held under the sway of the bottle.

Sumati nautiyal, head of Mahila Mangal Dal of Sondhi village of Tehri district said, “In last assembly election, the entire village boycotted the voting in protest against liquor shop opened near our village. Surprisingly men also lent their support for it. The villages are angry that the state government could not provide a road but opened the liquor shop to spoil our young boys and men.”

Himla Dangwal, member of Himalaya Bhagirathi Self Help Group in Matli village of Uttarkashi said that usually it is the men in the hills who easily fall for the allurement of liquor and compel the women in the house to vote for that candidate . This is the reason, that her organization has begun awareness campaign on this issue.

Ekadeshi Devi, 71, former head of Mahila Mangal Dal of Chachkanda of Tehri district said, “The women in my village have decided that they would vote only that candidate who would assure us of opening no liquor shop in and around our village.”

The newly-formed

Prajatantra party

has also made liquor deterrence as their main election plank. Vimla Devi, president of the party said, "The top priority of my party would be to ban the liquor shops in the villages."

The hill dwellers are being supported by activists like environmentalists

Anil Joshi

and Suresh Bhai on this issue. He said, during his

Gaon Bachao Andolan

, he got strong feedback from villagers against liquor being easily available in these villages, which otherwise lack the other basic amenities of roads, water and electricity.

Suresh Bhai said, that the women in many villages, who are victim of domestic abuse , have taken up the agenda of discouraging offer of liquor by the candidates during the election . He said, he himself would go to these villages to extend his support to them.

Ravinder Jugran

, political activist has written to the Election Commission of India against blatant liquor use in wake of elections in the state. Jugran had earlier also filed a petition in HC in this regard . “There should be ban on liquor from the day when the model of conduct is enforced in the state instead of just 48 hours during polling and counting days so that candidates are not able to influence the voters and, liquor mafia is not established in the state,” he said.