Vote: MP villagers postpone their Diwali by a week as it falls on polling day | India News

SAJANPUR: If it’s an election, even Diwali can wait. A village in MP’s Alirajpur has decided to postpone festivities by seven days because their traditional Diwali coincides with voting day in the state.
The tribal community’s Diwali is scheduled by village elders. “We don’t celebrate Diwali like everyone else. The date of Diwali celebrations is decided in accordance with the ‘tithi’, and it’s usually on a Friday every year.The elders had decided to hold Diwali puja on November 17 but it has been put off since it’s voting day,” saidSajanpur panchayat secretary Khurban Tomar.
The panchayat has rescheduled Diwali to November 24, a week after the rest of the country celebrates the festival of lights. “All the villages have their designated ‘Dev Sthan’ (place of worship) where they offer prayers. The informal heads in the villages consult with the Badwa (priest) to decide the date of Diwali every year,” said Alirajpur tribal culture researcher Anil Tanwar.Tanwar said the village gathers at the Dev Sthan and offers prayers after which they offer the sacrifice of an animal. Then, they burst crackers together and light diyas in their houses.
“Since it coincided with voting date this year, we decided to reschedule our festivities. We drink and enjoy during our festival and we don’t want it to affect how our people vote. We want them to think clearly and calmly and vote properly,” said Tomar.