The village, located in the Vilathikulam Assembly constituency, has nearly 900 voters, of whom around 500 belong to SC communities.

Residents claim that access to their church has been blocked by a wall constructed on disputed land.

They allege that revenue officials colluded with a private individual to grant patta (a legal revenue document in India issued by the state government that acts as proof of ownership for a specific piece of land) for one acre of poramboke land ( unassessed government-owned land) that had long been used by villagers as a common space.

According to them, the patta was issued unlawfully, leading to the construction of the wall.

Since 2024, the SC residents have staged multiple protests demanding the demolition of the wall and cancellation of the patta.

Two cases related to the dispute are currently pending before the Vilathikulam sub-court and the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court.

In 2025, District Collector K. Elambahavath visited the village following protests. A petition was subsequently filed challenging a 2012 High Court order permitting fencing of a portion of the land, but it was rejected as the time limit for filing an appeal had expired.

Activists allege caste-based discrimination in the issue. "Out of 30 acres of poramboke land in the village, SC residents were using only one acre for common purposes. However, dominant caste groups occupied it, with the support of revenue officials," Murasu Tamilappan of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) told the New Indian Express.

M. Nagaraj, a coordinator of a Dalit rights collective, said protests have been ongoing since 2024. "We have been demonstrating every weekend for the past year to reclaim the land and remove the wall, but no action has been taken," he said, adding that both ruling and opposition parties failed to support their cause.

Frustrated over the lack of resolution, villagers have now decided to boycott the elections, he said.

Kovilpatti Sub-Collector Himanshu Mangal said efforts would be made to persuade the residents to participate in the electoral process.

This is not an isolated incident in Tamil Nadu. In 2024, several villages across the state boycotted the Lok Sabha elections over a range of grievances, including caste-based discrimination, lack of basic amenities, environmental concerns, and unmet development promises.

Villages including Vengavayal and Eraiyur in Pudukkottai, Pottaloorani in Thoothukudi, Mothakkal in Thiruvannamalai, Kattupalli in Thiruvallur, Vedampattu in Villupuram, Nellaithiruthu in Tirunelveli, Eganapuram and Nagapattu in Kancheepuram, Avalur in Ranipet, Jothihalli in Dharmapuri, Seerangampatti in Dindigul, parts of Cuddalore including Virudhachalam and surrounding villages, and Sitheri in Villupuram boycotted the elections.