NAINITAL: At least 70 villages with over 5,000 voters spread across districts of Kumaon division in Uttarakhand have not seen even a single candidate in general elections between 1951 and 2014.Most of these villages are situated in tough hilly terrains and lack basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity and running water.“No one cares if we even exist in the real world. Our votes are taken for granted and we continue to survive on the margins,” complains Madho Singh, a resident of Soraai village in Champawat district.Most of these villages are located at altitudes between 1,000m and 3,000m above sea level with diverse climate and terrain including hills, forests, plains as well as glaciers.Till date, a total of 70 villages in four districts of Kumaon division — Pithoragarh, Almora, Bageshwar and Champawat — have been identified in a data which is being collected by independent activists and political think-tanks.Of these, 30 villages are in Pithoragarh district, followed by Almora (19), Champawat (13) and Bageshwar (3).In Pithoragarh district, the villages which were identified are Namik, Rauda, Naag, Teli, Telma, Ghoradiya, Bona, Saipolo, Bui, Paato, Kota, Lodh, Kotyuda, Naapar, Kulthem, Theelum, Golfa, Chauli, Birgoli, Bayalkatiya, Bhangrakhet, Dharadi, Baligaanv, Sutaargaanv, Chaudhuri, Siroli, Kaseri, Raankad, Saund and others.“I haven't seen any leader visiting my village ever. It seems our work is to vote but fend for ourselves,” Girdhar Ram (43), a resident of Theelum said.In Almora the identified villages where no candidate has ever visited are Naila, Khurudi, Bamanchaina, Tarad, Udli Khan, Raulakharak, Khushyalkote, Tana Tasvaah, Kanaar, Naayal, Selakote, Ratedi, Maharagaanv, Bedhuli, Walsa, Simalgaanv, Paithani, Naad and Malli.In Champawat district the identified villages are Chuka, Khirdwari, Kotkendri, Bakoda, Riyaansi Banmangaanv, Gurkholi, Soraai, Aamni, Shiromani, Tikaram, Jogaram, Neeladhar, Aandev, Ghurchum, Paali, Kanyudaa, Masarkaa and Nadola.In Bageshwar, three villages — Kathani, Hyonali and Aamkhet — have never been visited by candidates.Daan Singh, a resident of Chuka village said, “None of these villages have seen any leader for whom they have voted since independence. The people of these villages are just numbers on paper. We do not exist for our leaders.”Commenting on the issue, GS Bhandari, the official representative of incumbent Almora MP Ajay Tamta, said, “Almora-Pithoragarh Lok Sabha constituency is the second largest in the country when it comes to land area after Ladakh. We are trying our best to cover the whole constituency but it is almost humanly impossible to cover every single village."