BELAGAVI: Can a lemon or a sliced pumpkin or a doll help defeat a candidate? To gain an upper hand in this high-stake electoral battle at the grassroots, several candidates are turning to black magic as a means to trounce their opponents.
GP polls have assumed significance with the involvement of several top politicians in the campaigning. Lemons, sliced pumpkin, chillies, coconuts, pink colour powder, dolls, etc. are being kept near a rival candidate’s house or at the junctions closeby.
At Marakatti GP limits in Bailhongal taluk, recently a candidate was shocked to find black magic performed in front of his house. Various things used in black magic were scattered in front of his house on Monday midnight, a new moon night believed to make black magic very effective. The incident has left the candidate’s family and villagers in a state of shock.
The candidate, on condition of anonymity, said he came to know later that his rival candidate got the black magic performed to win the elections. “Black magic practitioners were paid `25,000 to `30,000 to attract the voters,’’ he added.Several villagers have appealed to the local authorities to initiate measures to stop black magic.
Black magic practitioners have been in demand in the past few days with candidates approaching them in desperation. It has come to light that several candidates approached astrologers too before filing their nomination papers. Some have filed the papers as per the ‘muhurtha’ while some others have launched their campaign as per the timing and dates fixed by astrologers.