UMERKOT, April 26: Voters’ turnout in the Tharparkar region in upcoming general election is feared to be very lower this year because of a stricter check on rigging put in place by the election commission. The check is likely to eliminate the chances of any leniency to be shown in the case of a person casting a vote on behalf of an ‘absent’ voter.

There has been a practice in the region that certain influential people, mostly feudal lords, collect the identity cards of their peasants and make arrangement for casting votes on their behalf.

The people authorising these influential people to cast their votes are nomad families who remain on the move to escape drought and daily wage-earners who leave for a potential workplace far away from their area of residence and return home only when work is available to them within their hometown.

Out of the 2.2 million Thar population, the number of registered voters is only 22 per cent.

At this crucial time of the year when the general election is around the corner, people of the area are in the process of yearly migration. The region comprises of three districts — Tharparkar, Umerkot and Mithi — from where a large number of people have left or are leaving for areas in upper Sindh, such as Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Khairpur, Shaheed Banazirabad, Tando Allahyar and Badin districts.

In 2008 election, voters’ turnout in Tharparkar and Umerkot was 65 and 48 per cent respectively. However, it seems that the turnout might be less this year because of strict monitoring and security arrangements by the EC.

Around 200 kilometres away from Umerkot, Amolakh Bheel is harvesting wheat in Huryamar village near Pithoro town. According to him, out of nearly 200 households in his village, about 10 per cent families have stayed behind while the rest have left the area and migrated for greener pastures.

When asked about voting, he said that the landlord previously collected identity cards of the villagers but did not do so this year.

Meanwhile, the EC seems to be clueless regarding ensuring votes for migrating families. The district election commissioner for Umerkot told Dawn that the EC did not have any policy for the ensuring votes of migrated families. Candidates have not been allowed to transport their voters to the polling stations.

On the other hand, people in the region seem least interesting in casting their vote in the most crucial election for the country unless they were provided transport by the candidates.

Amolakh Bheel said that he did not plan to vote because it was useless since his votes have been cast without his presence before. The factor which might make him reconsider would be transport. “If any candidate provides transportation then I will go,” he said.

However, he was extremely sceptical about the next election making much difference in his life.

He said that his vote would not make any difference because votes are still cast when he does not go to vote, and even if he did vote religious minorities would still be victimised, lands of peasants encroached and the people would still not be allowed to fetch water from wells owned by feudals.

Two others, Nathyo and Hero, residents of Bheriyo village in Umerkot district, said that they would go to vote if candidates provided them with transport.

Most of the people from their village had already migrated to earn livelihood by casual labour and would return after Thar receives rain, they added.