BENGALURU: With just a day left for polling, aspiring municipal councillors are struggling to reach out to voters living in apartments.
“We have told the security guards not to allow any party workers or candidates inside. They just spoil the peace and quiet,” said Shwetha Adarsh, a resident of Ideal Homes in RR Nagar ward. The complex houses 50 flats.
In such cases, candidates leave their publicity material with the guards. Debasish, a guard at RK Nest in Chandra Layout, is under instructions to keep out campaigners. “Some candidates and party workers request me to tuck their handbills into cars parked on the ground floor,” he said.
Pavan Manjunath, a techie living in the 32-flat complex, finds party workers standing outside to request residents to vote.
“We don’t object to it, but we don’t want them coming inside,” he said.
Sai Residency at Nagarbhavi, with 64 flats, allows handbills on its notice board. “We have told the guard to collect one handbill from each candidate and stick it on the notice board. We do not allow more than one,” Shreedevi, a resident, said.
Shilpi Sahu, a professional who lives at Purva Sunshine, has a vote in Bellandur of Mahadevapura constituency. “During the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, we allowed candidates to interact on our premises. This year, no one has approached us,” she said. The complex houses 206 flats. R V Nagarathna Yadav, BJP candidate contesting from Shanthinagar ward, admitted that getting into apartments was a problem for them.
“At some places, we leave our handbills at the gate. But many places have allowed us to enter,” she said.
Once inside, the campaigners fan out, and five go to a flat. “When we knock, some ask for my ID card while others let me in because I am woman,” she said.
Subhash Ram, whose wife S Padmavathi is contesting from Ramamurthy Nagar in K R Puram constituency, said, “We don’t go in a crowd. Apartments have no objection to two or three people going in.”