In Chikkaballapur, it's walk the talk

CHIKKABALLAPUR: The first impression anybody gets in Chikkaballapur is that there are no elections in the near future. But what you do see is a door-to-door campaign by all the parties. A candidate and his supporters go around houses asking for votes. The women of the house come out and perform Aarti to him, in a gesture of wishing him luck. He flashes out a Rs 100 note from his pocket and drops it in the Aarti plate.
Congress candidate S V Ashwathanarayana Reddy, campaigning on the outskirts of Chikkaballapur, said this kind of campaigning was not new to him."Decades ago, we had done it for others. Now, I want to use the technique for myself. In fact, this is better than holding processions and rallies as we come into direct contact with the voters," he added. However, there is a flip side to such campaign styles. Reddy said the time for campaigning is very short.
"I cover at least 10 villages every day. But at that pace, we can't cover the whole constituency."
BJP's P S Prakash agrees. "Our party workers have already covered half the constituency. I started from the other end of the constituency. That way we will cover the entire area. But I wish I had more time" he said.
JD(S) candidate K P Bachchegowda felt there was no need for him to visit all villages. "My father K B Pillappa was a popular leader and he has followers across the district," he added.
KOLAR: Handling rebels and disappointed ticket-seekers may be the biggest challenge for all political parties here.
The electoral fortunes of many candidates will depend on how active these rebels will be.
Unprecedented growth in sectors like real estate and mining has increased the number of aspirants in each party.
Changes in established leadership at the taluk levels after delimitation might be another reason behind the large number of aspirants. All those who did not get tickets have naturally turned rebels. Of the six assembly seats in Kolar, rebels threaten the prospects of official candidates in four places.
In Kolar constituency, former Congress MLA K Srinivas Gowda is seeking a fourth term. His efforts are threatened by the rebel candidate Varthur Prakash, who has been expelled by the party now. Prakash, a realtor from Bangalore, is a staunch supporter of senior leader Siddaramaiah.
Traditional rivals are pitted against each other in Kolar Gold Fields and Srinivasapur that have remained largely unchanged after delimitation. Former Speaker and Congress candidate Ramesh Kumar is pitted against political adversary Venkatashiva Reddy of the JD(S). Lakshman Gowda is the BJP's choice and B Manjunath Gowda is fighting on a BSP ticket.
Caste factor may play a role here as Kumar is the only Brahmin among the aspirants.
rishi.rao@timesgroup.com