Panvel clocks 12,000 NOTA votes, as an unprecedented seven lakh people register their displeasure against netas
At 12,399, Panvel has registered the highest number of NOTA votes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and a citizens' forum that started a campaign encouraging people to opt for this option has hailed the outcome. NOTA numbers for the state stood at a whopping 7,01,564 voters (including Mumbai), twice that of 2014.
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BJP's Prashant Thakur, who won the seat, said he accepts the NOTA verdict, and deliver the best for his people. Residents of Panvel — the 188th constituency in the state comprising parts of Kharghar, Kalamboli, Kamothe and Panvel — had decided to go with the NOTA option in protest against lack of good roads, footpaths and poor water facility.
Prashant Thakur, BJP
Mangal Kamble, the 50-year-old president of NGO Swachh Kharghar Foundation (SKF), told mid-day, "The campaign was a success. It's a positive indication that people are expressing their dismay through NOTA (None of the above) and now the onus is on the elected representative to fulfil their demands. Over 12,000 NOTA votes show that our last minute campaign had the support of the public of this constituency."
"This result will gradually bring a change in politics, prompting political parties to accept the will of the people, and in future, field candidates who would really work for the people," Kamble said. She added that the number of NOTA votes would have definitely been higher had people from areas like Kalamboli and Kamothe had not boycotted the assembly polls over confusion created by a local EC's assistant returning officer.
A resident with a NOTA banner put up at the society gates. File pic
Speaking about her next plan, Kamble said she would hand over the citizen's manifesto to Prashant Thakur of BJP, who won with 1,79,109, after the swearing-in ceremony. She said she would work closely with Thakur to address prevailing issues. Rituraj Lanjekar, SKF member and Kharghar resident also said, "We now want our elected representative to provide us with basic amenities like road, water and footpath. We, the citizens, are willing to work closely with our representative to bring the change we demand."
'Ready to work with public'
Thakur, who emerged winner for a third consecutive term, said he was ready to collaborate with his people for the development of his constituency, and that he wants to be a part of a constructive and robust system. "First, I wish to thank the party leadership for trusting me and my colleagues from BJP and Shiv Sena who worked round the clock during the poll campaigns," Thakur told mid-day.
"Next, I would work closely with Panvel Municipal Corporation and the planning authorities of CIDCO to make sure all parts, including the rural areas, get basic infrastructure," he added. "I assure that infrastructures like road, water, footpath among other issues, will be resolved at the earliest as we have already prepared a strategy, following which we have already floated tenders. Soon, we will issue the work orders too," Thakur said.
Thakur accepted the people's NOTA verdict, but he said this was not the solution. But, he said, he would continue to work to gain back the trust of his people. "I have been given a chance to serve them again and I will continue to deliver my best," he added. The Election Commission officials told mid-day that out of 12,399 NOTA votes, around 12,371 were registered on EVM machines and 28 were sent through postal ballots.
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