Fear of Devil keeps voters away from polling booths

MAWKYRWAT: Call it illiteracy, superstition or idiosyncrasy, but the misgivings of a section of villagers in South West Khasi Hills about Aadhaar and EPIC despite several rounds of voters’ awareness programmes had an impact on the polling percentage in the district.
When the state was celebrating democracy on Tuesday, hundreds of people in the two constituencies skipped voting because of the belief that the unique identification number is linked with 666, believed to be the number of the Devil.
Village heads and leaders of several political parties told The Shillong Times that many voters from Mawsep, Mawthawpdah, Photjaud War, Mawrap and Manad under Mawkyrwat constituency were afraid to cast votes.
When asked about the reason, they informed that when political parties were busy campaigning for the election, a group of preachers led by one person known as “Phawa” travelled across villages preaching the Gospel and interpreting that “Aadhaar, EPIC and the voting machines have connection with the 666”.
“With the interpretation of the preachers, many people were afraid to push the button on the EVM and they used wooden sticks to press the buttons. Some turned their back to the machine and pressed without seeing,” the political leaders said.
In Mawkyrwat, Mawsep polling station recorded the lowest turnout of 46 per cent (out of 508, 275 voters refused to vote). Manad with a turnout of 63 per cent and Photjaud with a turnout of 67 per cent were the other two booths where fear of Aadhaar loomed. Political leaders said the issue has affected the entire constituency.
In Ranikor, sources said the issue has adversely affected Ngunraw and Rangjadong polling stations. “In these two booths, more than 300 people refused to vote,” they said.
It may be mentioned that the Khasi-Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi had circulated a pamphlet to all the Presbyterian churches that Aadhaar had no connection with the revelation (number of the beast) in the Bible, but the so-called “preachers” defied the instruction of the Synod.