Candidates file papers amid fanfare

Neither the scorching sun nor hungry stomachs deterred Congressmen supporting Krishna Byregowda in Byatarayanapura and Abdul Rehman Sharief in Hebbal from participating in the procession of their leaders to file their nomination papers on Wednesday.

Congress workers and followers of Byregowda, numbering at least a thousand, flocked to Kodigehalli from where the procession started.

The workers had assembled at the Kodigehalli Junction, at least an hour and a half ahead of the scheduled time and waited in the scorching sun.

People of all ages, including Byregowda’s relatives, camped there. His followers burst crackers and danced to the heavy drum beats till their leader arrived.

After offering pooja at the Hanuman temple at Kodigehalli Junction, the Byatarayanapura MLA seeking a second term got into an open jeep at around 2 pm. He then went to the BBMP office at Byatarayanapura. Traffic was affected and the police had a tough time.

While women stuffed themselves into vehicles waving flags and shawls, others followed in their own vehicles. With the scene shifting to the Byatarayanapura Junction, the vehicles on Bellary Road from Kodigehalli Junction came to a standstill at least for a couple of hours. The police and the paramilitary forces manned the BBMP office, where the office of the Returning Officer (RO) is situated, till Byregowda left.
“It is because of the bomb blasts at Malleswaram,” one of the followers of Byregowda said. However, the police remained tightlipped.

In Hebbal, Abdul Rehman Sharief and Jagadish Kumar of BJP, who filed their papers, drew large crowds. Katta Subramanya Naidu accompanied his protege Kumar. The heavy crowds hit movement of traffic. The blasts at Malleswaram added to the chaos.
The RO for Hebbal said no less than 28 candidates had filed their nominations on Wednesday.