Women group in Arunachal Pradesh takes up role of 'Chowkidar' to fight against abuse of money in polls

Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], Apr 4 (ANI): Women Against Social Evil (WASE), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has taken up the cudgel to check the menacing role of cash in polls.
It is doing a door-to-door campaign to minimise the role of money in influencing the people's voting decision in the wake of the impending Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
WASE volunteers have intensified their campaign after the recovery of Rs 180 lakh from one of the vehicles in the convoy of BJP Chief Minister Pema Khandu on April 2 late night in Pasighat area.
Rebika Komut, a first-time voter while speaking to ANI, said that WASE is urging the people not to become a party to any corrupt electoral practices.
“When I visited the house of BJP candidate Kaling Moyong in Assembly constituency number 38 where we found the posters from WASE urging the candidates not to lure voters by using their money power,” said Komut.
Miren Komut said: “WASE has been quite in checking the flow of cash in electoral politics, at least in buying voters with monetary allurements, as they did on April 2 late night in Pasighat when Rs 180 lakh unaccounted cash was recovered.”
Talking to ANI, Jaya Tasung Moyong, general secretary, WASE, said: “We have requested the people not to demand money, mobile recharges and fuel in lieu of their votes. I am hopeful for fair polls despite corruption and the use of money power by candidates during the election time.”
“If cash for vote incidents do not stop, then the poor people will not be able to come to the forefront of the electoral process and the standard of democracy will be compromised,” she said.
She said that WASE volunteers have visited as many villages as possible to disseminate the message of the fair election.
Yamik Darang, vice president of WASE, said: “Women have the power to influence all the members of a family. That is why through the door-to-door campaign, we are trying to educate the women not to vote for cash.”
“These campaigns will definitely help in establishing transparency in the electoral process at the local level. It may not have a huge impact at the national level but will certainly help in checking the role of money in elections in the future,” said Darang.
WASE has also launched a campaign against drug abuse in Arunachal Pradesh, where cocaine and brown sugar have gripped youths—male and female—in the state.
Arunachal Pradesh will vote for Lok Sabha and Assembly polls simultaneously on April 11. The counting of votes will be done on May 23. (ANI)