MYSURU: A list of dummy candidates with stark similarity to several big shots including Rahul Gandhi, BS Yediyurappa and HD Revanna have made into the political arena of Karnataka's Lok Sabha elections.
In what may seem like a harmless coincidence lies the age old tactic of the Indian politics to confuse and mislead the voters inside the election booths.
In Karnataka, PS Yaurappa, HD Revanna and even a dummy 'Rahul Gandhi' have made into the list of candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections.
As the stage is set for the April 26 elections, the presence of these 'dummy candidates' alongside the genuine candidates has created a wave of confusion among voters.
In constituencies like Chikkaballapura, where the battle is intense between BJP's Dr Sudhakar and Congress candidate Rakshana Ramaiah, the appearance of 'dummy candidates' with similar names like Sudhakar N and D Sudhakar adds an extra layer of intrigue to the electoral mix.
Similarly, in Bengaluru Rural, names like Manjunath K, Manjunath C, and C N Manjunatha vie for attention amidst the showdown between BJP’s Dr C N Manjunatha and Congress candidate D K Suresh.
Bengaluru North is witnessing a similar scenario, with multiple candidates named Shobha competing for attention amidst the high-stakes battle between BJP's Shobha Karandlaje and Congress' Professor Rajeeva Gowda.
What adds to the complexity is the use of familiar names like Rahul Gandhi, P S Yadurappa (not to be confused with B S Yediyurappa), and HD Revanna (resembling JD(S) leader HD Revanna) among the 'dummy candidates,' designed to attract votes through name wide recognition.
Even if the 'dummy candidates' manage to siphon a portion of votes from their namesakes, it can significantly impact the closely contested races where victory margins are often narrow.
“It is not only the duty of the political parties or candidates but even the election commission officials must do their part in creating awareness. Even if the dummy manages to eat a little bit into the share of his namesake, the job is done as the victory margins are often narrow, especially where the fight is neck-to-neck,” said V Santhosh, a political observer.