TUMAKURU: Sira constituency woke up to the bypoll on Tuesday. At Changavara, Bevinahalli and other villages, farmers were busy in harvesting ragi and segregating groundnuts, both staple crops. Consequently, polling was sluggish until 11 am and picked up by afternoon with over 60 per cent casting their votes by 3pm. Polling was brisk in the Muslim-dominated areas of Sira town.
“Last time, it stood at 84.31 per cent and no doubt that this time too it will be good,” remarked Bevinahalli K Manjunath, a former ZP member and a BJP leader.
Seventy-year-old Lakkamma told TNIE with pride that she was not an ordinary voter but a former member of the Gram Panchayat at Taruru village. The ailing woman who came in a wheelchair with attendants rued that she had not been getting any benefits from the government, including pension. Expressing solidarity with her, the villagers said that she had lost three of her sons in an accident and her only daughter, a farmhand, had been taking care of her. “Please help her to get the pension,” they said.
A few people who were happy with the free distribution of liquor by the managers of various political parties did not seem to be keen on voting. At Tavarekere, Shivakumar, a Congress worker, was found drawing the attention of the voters with a bowl of rice as a symbol of ‘Annabhagya’ scheme launched by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Central Range IGP Seemanth Kumar Singh who had camped in the constituency visited select polling stations along with SP Dr K Vamsi Krishna. “The SP will take action if any illegal activities are found,” he remarked, referring to some people allegedly distributing cash.