BENGALURU: About 3,000 autos shuttled on the streets on Wednesday, canvassing for various political parties and independents fighting the upcoming Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) polls.
They seem to be making the most of the election fever that has gripped the city.
As per the State Election Commission directions, each candidate is allowed to use five three-wheelers for campaigning.
A senior BJP leader explained the numbers. “In all, 197 from BJP, 196 from Congress and 188 from JD(S) are contesting the elections. All of them use autos, and that comes to 2,900 vehicles. Independents and other minor players are also using autos,” he told Express.
Manjunath, President of the Adarsha Auto and Taxi Drivers’ Union, said 500 autos from his association were involved in the canvassing. “An auto with a driver, announcer and mic gets RS 4,000 a day, besides lunch and coffee.”
He said auto drivers have little left after paying for the announcer and mic. “They can earn that much even without campaigning, but they don’t have to wait for passengers this way.”