Money is no guarantee of buying votes in Karnataka where all parties are offering currency notes. Hence, candidates have come up with innovative measures to ensure the support of the “ beneficiaries”. The candidates are using superstitious practices prevalent among lower middle class people as an “ insurance” for their election investment.
For example, they are handing over the money with betel leaves with areca nuts to ensure that the person who has received them will vote for him/ her. In Bangalore, coconut is used as an auspicious gift, which gives the candidates the confidence that people who accept them will not break their oath.
Shivaprakash, who is working for a regional party candidate in Rajajinagar assembly segment, said such religious gestures work with the lower middle- class voters.
“ At no cost will they break an oath taken with betel leaves and areca nut. If they are not voting for us, they will not take it. We cannot antagonise the person who will not receive the ‘ gift’. We have to pay them too. So, with betel leaves we have currency notes with higher denominations and without betel leaves, we hand over lower- denomination currency notes,” he said.
While betel leaves and coconuts are more popular in Bangalore, candidates present salt and milk with money in Shimoga, Haveri and Davanagere.
Supporters of candidates carry a packet of salt in their pockets.
While distributing money, they either make the money receiver touch the packet or put some salt on the currency, before passing it on to the voter.
No one in the region can break an oath after touching salt, which is their lifeline.
In Hassan and Mysore, milk plays an important role. There is a belief that one who offers you milk or one who drinks milk in your house, should not be cheated.
“ Money is being offered by all the candidates. The only way to ensure people vote for you is to make them take an oath by touching sacred things,” Shivaprakash added.
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