Bangalore: The Lok Sabha candidates from Bangalore have to battle not just the unusual April heat, they are also battling a week long holiday. The entire state of Karnataka is going to polls on April 17 in a single phase. The next day April 18 is a Good Friday. Two days prior to that, April 14 is a government holiday on the account of Ambedkar Jayanthi.
If the voters can manage two days holiday on Tuesday and Wednesday, the voters can go on a week long vacation.
The voting percentage has always been low in Bangalore city. In 2009, just 54.60% Bangaloreans voted in the Lok Sabha elections. In 2013, state Assembly elections, India's IT capital registered a mere 52.8% voting.
Both the Congress and the BJP fear that a week long holiday, may affect their prospects as many working professionals are likely to go on a short vacation skipping the voting. Both of them are now using their party workers to convince the voters not to skip voting. The Election Commission is also persuading the voters to exercise their democratic right and not to go on a vacation on the voting day.
According to some BJP leaders, the series of holidays may affect its prospects more as many of the young working professionals and other middle class people are considered its vote bank.
They argue that the traditional Congress voters are from the lower class and lower middle class and they are working not professionals. Normally, these sections always come out to vote when compared to the middle class and the upper middle class professionals.
Since IT pioneer Nandan Nilekani is the Congress candidate from Bangalore South, many feel that series of holidays may also affect his votes as a section of the middle class and upper middle class is expected to vote for him.
April and May are the two hottest months in Bangalore. This time, temperatures have touched 37 degree Celsius during the day time. The rising temperature is also dampening the spirits of voters, mainly middle aged and aged voters.
Bangalore city has three Lok Sabha seats in its city limits and the outskirts have two more seats.
Comments
0 comment