Karnataka polls: As clock ticks away to polling, it's cash 'n carry time

As dusk fell on the campaigning on Friday evening, it was time for the election managers of all parties to go to work, distributing money and goodies.

In the working-class localities of the city, candidates are opening their purses, and the going rate is Rs5,000 a vote. That is what voters in Horamavu, Kalkere and Jayantigrama, Sultanpalya, KG Halli et al are being offered.

Sujatha (name changed), part-time house help in a north Bangalore locality, says her family of three has been offered Rs15,000 by the supporters of the sitting, cash-rich MLA.

She says she is yet to see the money, but is sure her family will be receiving it under the cover of darkness either Friday night or Saturday.

She is also hoping that the promise made by the MLA’s opponent to gift a pressure cooker and a mixie per vote will be kept. The gifts were distributed in her locality
surreptitiously over the last two days. Out working, Sujatha missed getting the vessels.

The goodies, of course, will be delivered to her house, she is sure, but after having seen what her neighbours got, Sujatha is not overly impressed.

“They are of bad quality. My neighbour returned the mixie, which failed to work. The campaigners have promised to replace it.”

Not in all constituencies is the rate Rs5,000 a vote. In a city central constituency, the rate is Rs3,000. In some constituencies, campaigners have not named a rate, but have promised that it would give more than what the opponents offer.

Narayanaswamy, his son Babu and daughter-in-law Pavitra, who have a ironing shack in Bagalur Layout, have gone back to their native place, Chintamani, where they are registered as voters.

With clothes for ironing from families nearby piled up in his shack, Narayanaswamy called on his customers and told them he and his family members would return after elections.

“We are not voters here. And we won’t get anything. But back home, we hope to make some money and even some gifts,” he said. “Why should we miss out on that?” Why indeed.

Novel ways of buying
The election commission’s observers are monitoring the movement of money and gifts, with police pickets deployed on roads and near state borders, but the seizure of cash this time around is a tip of the iceberg. At a dozen crores of rupees, and thousands of sarees and gold nose studs, the booty netted by the EC is peanuts, many say. At even a conservative estimate of Rs3,000 a vote, at least Rs15,000 crore is at play.

Political parties are devising ingenious methods to distribute the money. Many are issuing signed pieces of paper that voters can present at local shops and collect either cash or goods such as steel vessels.

Another method is for a party worker to take voter to an ATM and draw money to pay him.

And, of course, there is the booze, the fuel on which Indian elections have run. Distributing booze is a bit of headache, but voters insist on it. To evade the strict checks on the last two days preceding the polling day, over the last days, said a party worker, local booze shops were instructed by candidates to give voters who carried a signed piece of paper, bottles, gratis of course. 

Outside Bangalore, distributing booze is easier. Candidates stock up bottles over the  months preceding the election, and a day before polling, crates arrive in villages. In a Kolar village, the normal practice is that local leaders, who represent various parties, pool together bottles offered by various candidates, and distribute them among households depending on the number of votes in each family. No coercion or complaints from any side, and all families are free to vote as they prefer. The system has worked well, the harmony of the village is preserved, and everybody can wake up with a hangover on polling day.

They want quality liquor
With each election, says an ex-MLA, voters in villages demand an improvement in the quality of booze. “Earlier, we could distribute the cheapest brands. Now, voters scoff at cheaper stuff. They are fascinated by the costlier whiskeys, vodkas and gins stocked by even shops in small towns and want premium brands. The ***** are getting pricey. I think I better quit this game. Can’t afford it.”