Fed up with unkept promises, people in a few panchayats in Kerala have picked the right time to vent their anger. They have put up signboards and handwritten warnings with a different kind of campaign message during the local body elections, one fuelled not by politics but by frustration.

In Ernakulam’s Kalady gram panchayat, the message outside one house has been widely shared on social media. A whiteboard in front of Jayanthan’s home, placed just below the Kalady bridge, asks candidates to fix the road first before they return, asking for votes. It also reminds them that his joint family contributes 14 votes and that excuses about jurisdiction would not work anymore. The tone is part humorous and part exhausted, and the neighbourhood understands exactly where it comes from.

The stretch of road that leads to his house has not been properly maintained for 25 years. Contractors patch up the stretch as complaints mount. At the first sign of rain, the road cracks open. “They fix it sometimes and after two rains, it comes back,” says Jayanthan. When he put up the board, workers returned briefly to fill the potholes again. He already knows it will not last. “Candidates do come because we know them personally. But their response is always lukewarm. They say it will be fixed, but without any seriousness.”

The Kalady bridge has become one of the worst choke points in the district. Traffic snarl lasts for hours, and during the Sabarimala season the pressure doubles. Vehicles carrying pilgrims are forced to crawl through the jam, sometimes skipping Kalady altogether, despite it being a major stopover. Yet according to ward member Sajeev PB, the panchayat cannot intervene because the bridge falls under the Public Works Department. “Every two months the potholes are closed, and after a few days it becomes the same again,” he says.

For all his frustration, Jayanthan admits he has never skipped voting and he probably never will. His warning, he says, is like telling children there will be no candy even though you may eventually give it. “But they should understand how tired we are,” he adds.

A similar voice of protest has emerged from Vaikom’s Maravanthuruthu grama panchayat. In Chemmanakari ward, residents stopping by the Toll Chemmanakari Road cannot miss the flex near Aneesh Kandathithara's home. In bold letters, it warns politicians who arrive for votes that they will witness the same sight that “Pillechan saw”, a playful reference to the well-known scene from Dileep’s 'Meesha Madhavan'.

Aneesh’s problem began two years ago when he started building his house near the bus stop. As the work neared completion, he applied for a drinking water connection. Aneesh says officials first told him to wait six months to be included in the Jal Jeevan Mission. When he returned, they said municipal applications would be cleared before those from panchayats. Later, his panchayat collected his documents and told him to wait based on ward priority.

The road was rebuilt at a high cost and by the time he followed up again, he was told it could no longer be dug up for a water pipeline. The new road had become an excuse to permanently deny a basic need. “Now candidates come, see the board and leave,” says Aneesh. “It went viral because people understood the frustration.”

Chemmanakari ward member Majitha Lalji, however, says the panchayat was never officially informed. “We assumed they had a water connection after the house was completed. They never told me about any issue,” she says. “By the time Aneesh approached us, the road work was already completed, leaving us unable to intervene.”

In another instance of road-related protest, residents of Nariyamkode ward in Kanhirapuzha, Palakkad, have put up a board warning political parties not to seek votes until their local road is repaired. During the rains, the unpaved portions turn into slush, and in summer, stones jut out from the surface, making the route difficult for motorists and pedestrians alike.

This year, however, ward members say the issue has been resolved, with repair work completed and the road restored.

The residents of Karuvarakundu gram panchayat in Malappuram also plan to shun elections. A huge banner erected by them warns political parties against visiting Anappara area at Pulvatta seeking votes. According to them, no fund was allotted for road construction and the banner says that they will not be cheated again.