India's Smallest and Farthest Constituency Lakshadweep Shows How We Should Actually Vote

Lakshadweep is not one of the names that come to your mind immediately when it comes to the Lok Sabha Elections.

Cut off from mainland India, Lakshadweep often makes it into election news only in statistics - as the smallest Lok Sabha constituency in India, in terms of the number of voters. There are just 54,266 registered voters in Lakshadweep and often the margin of victory could be a few hundred votes.

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Other than being the smallest constituency, it was known for the tallest political figure the island has ever produced - PM Sayeed, a ten-term MP from Lok Sabha and once from Rajya Sabha who was also the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha.

Unlike most other constituencies, the Lok Sabha elections in Lakshdweep are fought over local issues.

"One of the biggest election issue this year is of the fishermen. Tuna fish (locally called mass meen) was purchased from them by the Cooperative Marking Federation promising payments up to Rs 500-600 per kg. They were told that it was to be exported to Sri Lanka. But it never happened and the tuna ended up rotting in Beypore. The fishermen never got their payment, that is one of the most talked about topics," Dr. Koyamma Koya, a local resident said.

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Once a Congress bastion, the island has since elected an MP from JDU and NCP too. In 2019, the main fight is between the Congress and the NCP. JDU, CPIM and BJP have also fielded their candidates for the vote on Thursday.

Another much talked about topic for the voters in Lakshadweep is connectivity. With the island depending on the mainland for almost everything, connectivity has been for long an issue.

Koya said recently five new vessels were sanctioned to the islands which have made connectivity to the mainland better but admits that it is still an issue.

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As far as youth and students are concerned, Koya said they are disappointed by the government decision to reduce the 13 seat quota in medical admissions to just one from the island.

While Lakshadweep consists of 36 small islands, only 10 of them - Minicoy, Kavaratti, Agatti, Kiltan, Amini, Kadmath, Chetlat, Bitra, Androth, and Kalpeni are inhabited.

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