
Nagaraj turns Nagin for poll dance
In the heat of Hoskote, campaigning for former chief minister M Veerappa Moily, Housing Minister MTB Nagaraj just couldn’t resist the popular tune from the golden oldie ‘Nagin’. Breaking into a slow sway, he did the ‘Nagin dance’, as a music band following his convoy started playing ‘Man dole mera tan dole’ from the 1954 flick. And mobile cameras on the ready quickly snapped up the 67-year-old leader gyrating, and the video quickly went viral. Those accompanying Nagaraj finally asked him to slow down, in view of his age. Nagaraj, whose name means King Cobra, had gone with his supporters to Katigenahalli village in Hoskote on Tuesday evening. This is not the first time the minister has exhibited his dance skills in public, and has performed during religious events in Hoskote earlier. Popularly known as MTB, Nagaraj is the richest minister in the country, with declared assets worth over Rs 1,000 crore.
Big fat ballot in Belgaum
In Belgaum, it’s a problem of plenty. With 57 candidates in the fray, local Election Commission officials are in a quandary on how to best conduct this big, fat election. They have sought 7,400 additional ballot units to fit the symbols of all candidates in the EVMs. Large tables are also being mobilised to keep the ballot units, and table arrangements already made by officials are being changed to fit in the polling stations. Officials are still confused as to how many polling agents should be allowed in each booth. They had presumed that not more than 16 candidates would be in the fray. But the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, intent on attracting the people’s attention to the unresolved boundary dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka, decided to field 47 candidates, pushing up the total number of candidates to 57. Now, officials have to ensure that each EVM is connected to four ballot units, as only 16 names can be included in one unit. More strongrooms also need to be arranged, to keep the ballot units safe.
Couple’s wedding invite with a message
Ganesh Kumar Padukone and Poornima, whose wedding is on May 1, have hit upon a novel idea to popularise voting. Ganesh, who dreamt of doing something unique for his wedding, came up with an invitation with a message — the importance of voting, besides a message about ethical voting: “Voting helps democracy win. Our vote is not for sale.” Ganesh is a hotelier and Poornima works with a cooperative society at Navunda. The couple from Udupi, who will tie the knot at a convention hall in Kundapur, plan to give gifts to guests with inked fingers. “My friends suggested we do something to encourage voting. We designed a wedding card with a message that books worth Rs 250 will be distributed to guests who attend our wedding with indelible ink on their fingers,” said Padukone. Kundapur Kannada, a dialect of Kannada spoken in Kundapur, has been used in the wedding invitation.