Kannada Sahitya Parishat poll campaign marked by accusations

While the counting of votes of the zilla and taluk panchayat elections in the district has increased the curiosity of the public, the elections for the post of the president of the district Kannada Sahitya Parishat has captured the attention of the populace as well.

The campaigning is seeing new developments each day with accusations and counter-accusations flying thick and fast between candidates.

Kaivara N Srinivas, C B Hanumanthappa and K P Navamohan have emerged as strong contenders and are touring the district.It is a common sight to see candidates distributing pamphlets to voters, trying to persuade Parishat members to vote for them.
The elections to the Parishat are no different from the Legislative Assembly or Panchayat elections. Candidates, along with groups of eight to 10 people, tour taluks in four to five vehicles campaigning for the elections.

After seeking votes, the rest of the time is spent in making accusations against others candidates. They also vent their ire against the current situation when compared to the activities in the past, a writer told Deccan Herald.

Instead of discussions related to literature and culture or work related to the welfare of these fields, the former president’s term is marked by many shortcomings.
Despite the existence of the Parishat, no literature-related activity is being held, many accuse.

Despite knowing the limitations of the range in which the Parishat can work, the candidates promise to get more than that done. Hence, the Parishat members are only getting angry and dissatisfied at these campaign meetings. The campaigning has taken a very different turn, said a teacher.

The caste effect
The Parishat has 2476 members in the district and each candidate has a list of members with them. There have been reports of campaigning being conducted based on the region and caste of the voters. Candidates are being backed by voters belonging to their caste and are conducting door-to-door campaigns.
This has left many members deeply dissatisfied.