BBMP poll battle enters final phase
Rid of the loud, bizarre public campaign, electioneering for the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) poll on Friday was fought at two dramatic levels: One at the grassroots, at a very personal door-to-door level, and another before the State Election Commission (SEC).
Sporting that perennial smile, hands folded in anticipation, candidates galore knocked every door in pregnant silence. But at the SEC level, the battle was laced with complaints and counter-complaints by the big parties. Violation of the model code of conduct was the common grouse.
From allegations of faking voters’ names in the electoral list to objections to a press conference by the chief minister, the complaints were politically loaded to impact Sunday’s polls. Media advertisements issued by two key parties also came under fire, with the SEC directing district election officers to initiate disciplinary action.
But such threats apparently had no effect during the campaigns where candidates continued to promise the moon.
Political messages complete with party symbols and candidate names freely masqueraded as voter information chits, and were distributed to every potential voter. For the record, the chit is considered legal to verify their names on the voters’ list with the polling agents.
Yet, the campaign story had a twist. Like in Kadugondanahalli, where the summer heat beat the election heat and forced almost everyone to stay indoors. The deserted streets of that area told a different story.
