Karnataka - Belgaum   

A chance for the few good people to take part in the electoral process

R.Y. Nadaf

Belgaum: High educational qualification, personal integrity, aptitude to work for the betterment of society, a candidate with leadership qualities and without any criminal background; these are some of the traits that people look for in their representatives.

R.Y. Nadaf, a practising homoeopath, who is contesting as the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate from Belgaum North Assembly constituency, is, perhaps, one such candidate.

Dr. Nadaf decided to plunge into the electoral arena after seeing a significant and characteristic change in electioneering. He said here on Wednesday that the Election Commission (EC) should be complimented for its sincere efforts to change the face of electioneering by strictly enforcing the Model Code of Conduct.

Unlike in the past elections when educated and honest individuals kept away from politics, leave alone contest in elections, the present atmosphere has created hope for all such good people to reconsider their views and start taking part in the election process.

He said he has been serving as principal of the Homoeopathy College in the city for the past 22 years, used the facilities and access to various government and other institutions only to organise free health check-up camps, treatment to poor patients, etc. He even ensured that the tuition fee of students belonging to the poor sections was waived by the management.

At a personal level, he has taken part in various social service activities, particularly for the benefit of Muslims in the city and other parts of the district. The assets, both movable and immovable, declared by him while filing his nomination papers account for about Rs. 20 lakh. “I do not have sufficient cash to lure the voters with saris, mobile phone handsets, liquor, etc. However, I promise that I will work sincerely to provide civic facilities and bring in more development in the constituency if elected. I am a ‘tested’” candidate and my social service for more than two decades stand in evidence to my claims,” he said.

He is also aware of leaders who wield enormous influence, including Feroz Sait of the Congress, Ramesh L. Kudachi of the Janata Dal(S), Shankargowda Patil of the BJP, and the challenge posed by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi in Belgaum North. He, however, appeals to the voters to look into the merits of the contestants but not into their religion, caste or the political party they belong to before exercising their franchise.

He says that his presence in the fray has provided an opportunity to voters to elect a good candidate. Now the choice is left to the voters, who, otherwise, have been complaining of not having good candidates in the electoral fray.

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