T.N. Assembly election: For second time, Pottalurani residents to boycott polls over fish waste processing units

Residents of Pottalurani village, which falls within the Ottapidaram Assembly constituency in Thoothukudi district, announced that they will boycott the election for the second consecutive time as their long-pending demands for the closure of fish waste processing plants near the village were not met by the government. More than 900 people had boycotted the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 due to the same issue.

Residents have been demanding the closure of fish waste processing plants near the village since 2019 and have submitted numerous petitions on this issue. However, the protest intensified in early 2024 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. They also made other demands.

Panchayat bifurcation

This includes bifurcation of Ellainayakkanpatti village panchayat to form a separate Pottalurani panchayat and withdrawal of cases filed against residents during the protest.

According to the latest voter rolls published in February 2026, there are 912 voters in the village, 422 of whom are men and 490 are women.

three units

A. Shanmugam, a resident of the village, said there are currently three fish waste processing units operating near the village, two at Vadakku Karaseri and one at Pottalurani junction.

“Residents are in a difficult situation due to the bad smell emanating from the three units. This situation affects the health of many people,” he said.

He stated that two units in Vadakku Karaseri, just a kilometer away from Pottalurani, were working on agricultural lands, and farmers in the village were facing difficulties during the planting season.

“We also want Pottalurani to be separated from Ellainayakkanpatti panchayat and declared a separate village panchayat due to lack of proper implementation of government projects in the village. The village also faces infrastructure problems such as lack of street lights and drinking water supply,” Mr. Shanmugam added.

Another resident, E. Sankaranarayanan, said: “All fake cases registered against villagers participating in the protest should be withdrawn.”

He added that the primary demand of the villagers is the closure of fish waste processing facilities, and that if this demand is met before the election, the residents of the neighborhood will participate in the voting process.