CHITRADURGA/DAVANAGERE: Shops selling home appliances, electronic gadgets, jewellery and sarees made brisk business in cities and towns across Chitradurga and Davanagere districts on Thursday and Friday with a large number of women thronging them.
The reason for this unusual rush is said to be the “handsome” payment made to them by political parties for their votes.
Many women were seen at pawnbrokers’ shops busy getting back their pledged gold jewellery. Such shops on Old Post Office Road, Lakshmi Bazaar in Chitradurga city, Chamarajpet, and Church Street in Davanagere were crowded.
A pawnbroker on Old Post Office Road said he had to open three more counters at his shop to facilitate repayment of “gold loans”. “We had to keep our shop open till 9 pm,” he added.
180 phones sold, says salesman
He said that he expects this to continue for a few more days. Nagaveni, a resident of Davangere, said she purchased a copper pot worth Rs 8,000, which could be used during festivals and on special occasions.
Nitin Reddy, a salesman, said that his store sold 180 cell phones in the range of Rs 15,000-Rs 40,000 on Thursday and Friday. Some customers have also placed orders for high-end smartphones. A jeweller from Chitradurga said that he made good business in the past two days. Women thronged his shop although it is not a festival or marriage season.