PANJIM/MARGAO: As the nation gears up for the third phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, hundreds of people, who are in Goa from neighboring States of Maharashtra and Karnataka, Monday, faced a major challenge to make it back to exercise their fundamental right to vote in their own States, on Tuesday.
Despite the critical importance of participation in the democratic process, these citizens find themselves grappling with a severe shortage of public transportation options. Hundred of such voters were seen at the Kadamba Bus Terminus, Panjim.
One of the voters recounted the frustration, stating, “We’ve been here since 6 am, yet we still haven’t been able to find a bus (to our native place). Normally, buses are readily available, but due to the elections, we’re facing this issue, with no one to help us.”
The lack of coordinated efforts by their governments to ensure adequate transportation services has left these voters feeling neglected.
Meanwhile, it came to light that, those who can afford to resort to private bus services, have reported being overcharged, with no intervention from the authorities to regulate fares and ensure fair treatment. “The government should have made arrangements to support people who live in other States and need to travel back for voting,” another migrant said.
Stranded voters, who were at the bus stand waiting to make the journey to their hometowns, expressed a deep sense of disappointment in the lack of government support for their basic right to vote. “We are casting our vote because it is our right, and we want our party to win,” another individual said. “But no one has provided us with any financial assistance; we are going at our own expense.”
This sentiment highlights the stark contrast between the lofty ideals of democracy and the practical challenges that citizens face in exercising their democratic rights.
At the Margao bus stand too there was a heavy rush of passengers, especially among natives of Karnataka who have jobs in Goa and wished to make their way back to their home State to cast their vote in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for May 7. Most of those boarding buses were from the labour class.
While election-related travel was a major contributor to the surge in passengers, transport officials stated that not all of the increased numbers could be attributed solely to voters returning for the polls. However, a sizable portion was indeed Karnataka residents eager to exercise their democratic right back in their home State.
Bus operators responded by increasing frequencies on routes connecting Goa to major bus stops in Karnataka to accommodate the rush.
