Ban on celebrations dampens party workers' spirit

Only men in uniform, officials, political party counting agents and mediapersons were seen near the Canara College in the city where the process of counting of votes for the Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency was held on Saturday.

Elaborate security arrangements and the restrictions of Election Commission made the process of counting votes for the Lok Sabha constituency peaceful, literally. Unlike previous elections, there were no moments of anxiety and enthusiasm in party workers when the counting was progressing inside the Canara College in the city on Saturday.

The traffic movement and public gathering was completely banned within 200 meter radius of the counting station and cops on duty did not allow unauthorised persons to enter the Jail Road, where the counting centre is situated. A flag march was also conducted by the Armed Reserve Police as a precautionary measure on M G Road.

Vehicle parking was banned in front of Hotel Deepa Comforts building and the movement of private vehicles was also banned completely on road between Jail Junction and Besant Junction. Though there were small gathering near Besant Junction in the morning, police dispersed them immediately and made the area serene.

The district administration had plans to ban the traffic on M G Road from PVS Circle to Ballalbagh Junction till the end of the counting process. However, the ban was not implemented and the vehicles were allowed to ply normally.

With all the restrictions in force, the party workers and political enthusiasts were forced to watch the counting trends and election result indoors.

Victory celebrations

Though the restrictions were implemented strictly near the counting station and the surrounding areas, victory celebrations were going on at BJP office premises near P V S Circle. A wide screen television was arranged near the party office to watch the election results live. The tempo of the celebration by the party workers went on increasing as the margin of BJP candidate Nalin Kumar Kateel increased.

A large number of party workers gathered in front of the party office celebrated the victory by burning crackers and dancing after the declaration of result, violating the Section 144 imposed by the district administration.

Woman in ‘BJP Saree’

A woman party worker, who was dancing wearing a ‘BJP Saree,’ caught the attention of many near the BJP Office during the victory celebrations.

BJP worker Renuka was wearing a saffron saree with green border which has full of lotus images printed on it. The green blouse matched to the saree made her appearance resemble with BJP flag. She was also rejoicing the victory of Nalin Kumar Kateel by dancing along with other BJP workers.

Meanwhile, T-Shirts with images of Atal Behari Vajpayee and District-in-Charge Minister J Krishna Palemar were distributed to party workers during the celebration.