Forget saris, netas lure voters with mutton, cricket bats

Come elections, the demand for pressure cookers, saris, fans and cricket kits is on the rise and this is evident from the seizures made by the Election Commission. Items seized so far include saris, rice bags, dress material and so on.

The Static Surveillance Teams have seized 7 kg of gold. With Akshaya Tritiya coming up, the demand for gold and silver is rising. Sources say the other items that witnessed huge demand of late are mutton and chicken. Along with elections, wedding season is also creating a rise in demand.

With political parties almost finalising the names of candidates, the biggest challenge before the Election Commission is to keep a tab on lunch and dinners being sponsored by political parties under the guise of wedding reception, ‘Beegaraoota’, temple festivals and so on. Offering a non-veg meal to the public is not new for political parties, especially in the Mysuru region.


Also, in a few places, the number of sheep used becomes a matter of prestige, forcing the competitor to use more. Since it is also the season for temple festivals, there is a possibility of politicians inviting villagers to temple festivals and sponsoring meals. There is no formal invite to such programmes and the message spreads through the word of mouth.

Sources say some leaders send chicken and mutton to individual homes. Observers feel that the price of meat could rise up to Rs 25 in the coming week. In coastal areas, election officers are keeping a special watch on the Yakshagana performances as the practice is to offer dinner as part of the performance.