The Hindu : Karnataka News : How about a VCD player as well? Poll tales

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Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

How about a VCD player as well? Poll tales

Nowadays, election-related issues are the hot topics for discussion. The Congress election manifesto promise that it will distribute colour TVs to families living below the poverty line has caused much excitement, and one can hear people discussing it in places such as roadside tea stalls and buses.

At the end of the day’s labour, a Marathi-speaking group of construction workers at a tea stall in Hanumannagar in Belgaum had this to say:

“Kai re, Congress TV detheth mane ki re?” (Hey, did you hear that the Congress has promised colour TVs), said one man.

“Hoy, paper madi ale ki.” (Yes, it appeared in the newspapers), said another.

“Atha BJP ani JD(S) kaye denar mag?” (Then what will the BJP and JD-S give), the third person asked.

“TV made picture bagayela VCD player dyan man sangala pahije.” (They have to be told to give VCD players to view movies on TV), replied the fourth.

‘Give us water’

Janata Dal (Secular) workers on the campaign trail were in for a big surprise when villagers of Shettikere gave them handbills recently instead of the other way around.

At every house that they visited they were given a handbill that read: “We want water, not a colour TV or rice at cheaper rates or a sari or shirt-piece.”

The people of Shettikere and surrounding villages have decided to give these handbills to all political party workers coming to them for votes. The handbill is printed in the name of Shettikere and Suttamuttala Gramastharu.

Bless you

Many candidates contesting elections make it a point to seek the blessings of religious leaders. If the Lingayat community is dominant in a constituency, candidates will meet the head of the Lingayat math there.

M.P. Prakash, former Deputy Chief Minister, who hopes to be the Congress nominee from the Harpanahalli Assembly segment in Davangere district, visited the Panchamasali Veerashaiva math in Davangere on Friday night and met Mahanta Swami, who heads it.

Hearing about this, Karunakara Reddy, Bellary MP, who is the BJP candidate from the same constituency, rushed to Davangere on Saturday morning, visited the math and sought the blessings of Mahanta swamiji.

There are a large number of Panchamasali Lingayats in the constituency. The swamiji has not expressed support for either candidate. One has to wait for the election results to see who the blessed one is.

VIJAYKUMAR PATIL, SHIVARAJA K.N. AND

H.S. NARASIMHA KUMAR

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