Those not voting should not seek government benefits, says Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar

The cold response from Hyderabadi voters to the GHMC polls on Tuesday has dismayed many, drawing some strong reactions.

Expressing his angst over the abysmal voter turnout, Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said that a person “not responsible enough to step out of his home for one day in five years to vote, has no right to seek welfare schemes from the government.”

Sajjanar opined that the state benefits enjoyed by citizens should be linked to their duty of exercising the vote.

“Those who do not vote, do not retain the right to question the authorities over development,” the senior IPS said following the polling, adding that low voting defeats the concept of democracy.

Only about 30 per cent voting was recorded till 4 pm in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polls. The state election commission is compiling the final numbers, which are expected to take time as the polls were conducted through ballot paper this time in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sajjanar also stressed the need for an effective strategy to increase the voter turnout at the national, state and local levels.

“On the day of the election, our motto must be - Vote first, everything next,” said Sajjanar, who along with his wife, has cast his vote early on Tuesday.

The IPS officer was in the news last December when the Cyberabad cops had shot dead the four men accused in the gruesome rape-murder of a young veterinarian on the city outskirts.