JOIN USThe first step of campaigning by the hopefuls for tickets for the upcoming Assembly elections is to woo the party leaders.
In the Congress, therefore, the local optimists are travelling all the way to the national capital.
BJP member joins Cong
G H Nagaraj, member of the BJP State executive committee, officially joined the Congress, after meeting Union Minister Veerappa Moily at the Shastri Bhavan in New Delhi on Friday.
Congress Chikkaballapur district unit president M Anjanappa and leader T M Nagachoodaiah were present on the occasion.
Nagaraj had joined the BJP after losing the last Assembly elections from Chikkaballapur as an Independent candidate.
Malur
Former legislator A Nagaraj, who quit the JD(S) recently to join the Congress, as well as several hopefuls are nowhere to be found in the district- they have all gone to New Delhi to win over the party leaders into giving them tickets.
S N Raghunath, H K Govindappa and Somashekhar are the major aspirants who have travelled to New Delhi to request the Congress national level leaders to ensure they are given tickets.
H Krishna Singh, who lost as the Congress candidate in the last elections, is also known to have tried to reach the leaders in the national capital to get a ticket this time too.
G E Ramegowda, who has been campaigning the last six months, has only intensified his drive with the onset of the poll heat.
Meeting
With campaigning for the upcoming Assembly elections taking wings everywhere, leaders and aspirants of prominent parties were found meeting in town on Saturday, to plan on how to go ahead with the cause.
Kodihalli Manjunath Gowda, who addressed a meeting of the JD(S) local leaders and activists at his residence at Maruthi Layout, has declared with confidence that he would get the party ticket for the Assembly polls this time.
He began campaigning on Friday, after offering prayers at the Kurudumale Vinayaka temple and at the Chikkathirupathi temple. Booth committees have been formed inclusive of party leaders in the taluk panchayat to go house to house requesting for votes.
In the BJP, legislator S N Krishnaiah Setty is expected to be retained as candidate. He met the booth level activists and discussed campaigning with them.
After trips for women, it is feasts for youth
The party leaders, who wooed women by organising religious trips for them prior to the declaration of Assembly election dates, are now eyeing the youth.
Village-level feasts and trips are being organised with full ardour everywhere.
The Congress lost the Bangarpet bypoll two years ago, but K M Narayanaswamy is all set to fight it out again and is seen trying win over the youngsters, especially those belonging to various communities, in the taluk.
Feasts
The most prominent means of campaigning currently is the organisation of village feast.
A youth leader who can succeed in gathering youngsters from all over the village is selected before hand. On a fine day, in the evening, all youngsters are gathered for the feast, said sources from Bangarpet constituency.
Tours
The other method of wooing youngsters is getting them to tour places.
“Many have already been taken to Mysore. Women have especially been treated to religious trips. Now, the tours are organised for the benefits of youngsters,” said a voter in the constituency.
“It is ironic, however, that the number of such village feasts and trips to woo voters are increasing in number. The parties seem to depend on them heavily to win over the citizens,” added the voter.