Most candidates prefer door-to-door campaigning

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, OCT. 31. With just 10 days to go for the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Council polls, campaigning has intensified in the City. However, the ``poll fever'' is yet to hot up.

As the candidates are facing elections at a short notice this time around, and have very little time left for campaigning, they are planning innovative ways of campaigning.

While most of them have resorted to the usual door-to-door campaigning, several others are using the electronic media to seek votes. Blaring loud-speakers with recorded cassettes asking people to vote for a particular symbol can be heard in several parts of the City.

Corporators, who are contesting from the same ward they represented last time, have preferred door-to-door campaigning to other forms.

In the last BMP Council elections, the aspirants had at least a month for campaigning. The elections were announced in August 1996 and the polls were scheduled to be held on October 11 of that year. But this time around, the candidates have got just a fortnight after they filed their nomination papers, for campaigning.

Most of the candidates feel that the short period for campaigning is actually a boon in disguise. ``As public memory is very short, our door-to-door campaigning will really have an impact on the voters,'' said Mr. Veda Vyas Bhat, who is contesting from Mavalli ward for the second time.

``The short gap between our campaigning and the day of polling will help the voters to remember the symbols of the candidates, whom they prefer. This will avoid last minute confusion and cross voting,'' he said.

``Besides, the short campaigning will not cause lot of disturbance to people. People who can't bear with autorickshaws and other vehicles with blaring loud speakers, that go round the wards all through the day, will really be happy this time,'' Mr. Syed Shujjauddin, who represents Shivajinagar in the present Council, said.

The fact that the State Election Commission (SEC) has not fixed any limit on the poll expenses of each candidate would prove too costly for independent candidates who have no party funds to spend.

Such candidates are really happy with a short campaign. ``If the campaigning goes on for too long, it will be very difficult for us to compete with the candidates who buy votes,'' said an independent candidate.

Many of the candidates from the Opposition BJP, Janata Dal(S) and Janata Dal(U) have appealed to the SEC to fix a ceiling on the poll expenses of each candidate.

Mr. M.D.Chandrashekar, President of the Minority wing of Janata Dal(S), has submitted a memorandum to the SEC Commissioner to immediately direct all the candidates to submit day-to-day report on their expenses to the Commission. He also requested the Commissioner to initiate measures to avoid extravagance by candidates.

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