Karnataka - Bangalore   

Ex-corporators become the face of party On the campaign trail

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

Reaching out: Congress candidate for Shivajinagar, Bangalore, Roshan Baig campaigning in his constituency on Friday.

BANGALORE: The mood is jolly and no one really minds the blazing sun. “Podu ungal vottu kaiyya paathu (cast your vote for the hand),” chanted the former Minister Roshan Baig in Tamil as his followers joined in chorus as he went along meeting people in Ulsoor. This was the way Mr. Baig, who is contesting from Shivajinagar Assembly constituency in Bangalore, cheered his followers as he went along the campaign bearing in a sunny weather.

“I know this constituency well as I have got elected earlier. Only this area is new to me. I am comfortable moving around to seek the vote,” he told The Hindu on Friday. He went through the lanes and bylanes of Ulsoor speaking to the people in Hindi, Urdu and Tamil. “I will not ditch you. I will work for his constituency,” Mr. Baig said this everyone whom he met during the day.

Mr. Baig started his day by visiting the Gurdwara at Ulsoor. A party functionary had arranged for a ceremony at the Gurdwara. Accompanied by party functionaries and a large number of youth and children, he went through the small lanes of the area behind the Gurdwara.

Mr. Baig was helped along in his campaigning by local former corporators who introduced him to each of the household in the area. M. Saravanan, who represented the Ulsoor ward in the erstwhile Bangalore Mahangara Palike, and M. Pari, who represented the Bharatinagar ward, took turns in introducing people of the area. “I personally know each of the household in the area. I have met them and convinced them to vote for Mr. Baig. It will be difficult for Mr. Baig to meet people in such a short duration,” Mr. Sarvanan said.

The residents said corporators have been face of the party. “These are the people who are available to hear about our problems related to water, sewerage lines and roads. At times they do get the works done. There have been occasions they have turned a blind eye,” V.T. Jayachandran, a retired employee of Survey of India, said.

For this Mr. Pari said: “Our hands are also tied. We can only tell the officials to correct the problem. We cannot be blamed if they do not take action.”

Mr. Baig appreciated the efforts of the party’s corporators.

“They are popular in these areas for the development works they have done,” he said.

Barring a few complaints about drinking water, Mr. Baig’s campaign went about with people not raising any of problems faced by them. “We have learnt to live with the problems. This includes for the rise in the prices of essential commodities,” said former Hindustan Aeronautics Limited employee J. Jeevarathnam.

He added, “I retired from service in 1989. I managed to run the family and also build a house with my earnings. But same is not the case with my son, who struggles to bear the education expenses of his son, who is in kindergarten.”

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