MYSURU: Workers of prominent political parties have started knocking on the doors of voters in border villages and tribal hamlets to gather information on migrant labourers to make them come back and vote in favour of their candidates in the May 10 Assembly elections.
The parties and candidates foresee a keen contest in many constituencies on the border of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts, where migrant voters are in large numbers.
The workers have started collecting details such as names of voters who have migrated from their villages and hamlets in search of work, their present workplaces, booth numbers, etc. They are also collecting details of such voters’ political affiliations. Local leaders and village heads have been roped in by the parties to reach the migrant voters. They have been promised attractive wages, food, transport and other facilities.
In Hanur Assembly constituency alone, more than 12,000 voters are working in textile mills at Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. Many are working in estates and farms in that state. Govinda of BG Doddi said many families from Budipadaga, Aradinapura, VS Doddi, Gundi Mole and other villages have migrated to other places in search of jobs. Workers of various parties have visited these villages and have prepared a list of such voters.
Many migrate to work in coffee estates
A similar situation prevails at Pudur, Gopinatham, Palar and other border villages as many families work in textile mills at Tirupur, Erode and other towns in Tamil Nadu.
There are 32 tribal hamlets in Hunsur constituency and more than 7,000 voters have migrated to neighbouring Kodagu district and Wayanad in Kerala to work in coffee estates. Ramu, a tribal leader, said local tribal leaders and panchayat members associated with major political parties have been promised handsome wages and other perks to bring those voters and make them vote in favour of their candidates.
Leaders of BJP, Congress and JDS, and some independent candidates have gathered information in 120 tribal hamlets at Heggadadevanakote, Saragur and parts of Nanjangud taluks. They have started distributing pamphlets and “guarantee” cards in these taluks as well as Gundlupet, Chamarajanagar and Kollegal taluks.
Sameer, a resident of DB Kuppe, said some panchayat members have booked vehicles to bring back migrant voters residing in Kodagu and Wayanad. Nallore Mani, a Congress leader, hoped that migrant voters would return if their villages received good pre-monsoon showers. They would come back and start tilling their land.