DNA correspondents travelled across dark alleys of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar to discover and witness the last minute wheely-neely dealings by parties to cut each others’ votes.
Both the BJP and the Congress distributed large quantities of free country liquor and cash in some slums of Ahmedabad on Wednesday night and have hosted feasts on Thursday — the polling day. What is interesting is that this show of generosity during election time has been undertaken not for the votes of the beneficiaries but to prevent them from voting. And in areas where they did not distribute free liquor or have no plans to organise feasts, both the political parties distributed cash among the electorate with the request that they cast their votes in their favour.
DNA correspondents travelled across dark alleys of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar constituencies to discover and witness the last minute wheely-neely dealings by parties to cut each others’ votes.
Feast & forget
Both the Congress and the BJP organised feasts in parts of Ahmedabad to prevent rival voters from casting votes. A party worker in Amraiwadi said each of the two main rivals organised feasts in the strongholds of his opponent. “The idea was to keep the supporters of the rival candidate feasting on Thursday so that they are unable to find the time to vote,” the party worker said. Such feasts are planned in areas dominated by working class voters and minority community members. The feasts were not organised under any party’s banner.
The desi stuff
Party workers of both the Congress and the BJP distributed country liquor, packed in ‘desi potlis’, in selected slums in Asarwa, Gomtipur, Sardarnagar and some other areas of the city on Wednesday night. A worker said each party had distributed liquor only in those slums which were considered the strongholds of the rival side. He told DNA that the liquor that was distributed had been given additional punch to give the supporters of the rival side such a bad hangover on Thursday that they would not be able to vote.
Money wise
And, finally, in areas where it was not possible to distribute liquor or organise feasts, the two parties are doling out cash to bribe voters to vote for them. A Congress worker in the party’s minority cell said that distribution of cash is important for both the parties. “Each party is spending cash in the same proportion as the number of reliable voters it has in a locality,” he said. Explaining the supremacy of cash for the poor, he said, “You have to give poor voters cash (they call it ‘vajan’) even if you serve them free liquor or organise a feast for them.”
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