May 25th 2024.
The people of Sankhamedi village, located near the West Bengal border in the Balasore district, exercised their right to vote in the sixth phase of the general elections currently taking place in the neighboring state on Saturday. This includes voters from 12 villages in Balasore and some from Mayurbhanj, who voted for the candidates of the East and West Midnapore Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal.
In addition, 235 voters from Ward No. 18 of Sankhamedi, a village under the Analia panchayat in the Bhograi block, also participated in the elections for the Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. They cast their votes at the Bagbrajakishore and West Santeswarpur Primary School in the Ramnagar block of West Bengal. Jyotshna Jena, the ward member of Sankhamedi village, confirmed this development and admitted that all eligible voters in the village participated in the election.
Now, the villagers are preparing to vote in the upcoming Bhograi Assembly seat and Balasore Lok Sabha constituency elections in Odisha, which will take place in the final phase on June 1. The polling booth for these elections has been set up at the Analia Primary School in the Bhograi block.
Additionally, it has been reported that residents of Udayapur, Sahabajipur, Dakhinasarisa, Bajitpur, Narsinghpur, Ganeswarpur, Panisandha, Upula, Sagadasahi, and other villages in the Bhograi block have also crossed the border and voted in the West Bengal elections. Similarly, villagers from Raibania and neighboring areas under the Jaleswar Assembly constituency in Balasore district have also voted for the candidates of the West Midnapore Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal.
According to sources, the population of Sankhamedi village, which falls under the Bhograi Assembly constituency, is over 400. The Odisha government has provided basic amenities such as Anganwadi centers, schools, toilets, ration cards, pensions, and allowances, as well as power and water supply to the villagers.
However, the village has been embroiled in a border dispute with the two Midnapore districts in West Bengal since 1978. The state government has also stopped collecting revenue from the village since 1962. This has resulted in the youth being unable to obtain caste certificates and pursue higher education. Although the village is physically located in Odisha, the villagers feel a strong connection to West Bengal as they have been included in the state's housing schemes and receive government assistance such as ration cards.
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