Votes for sale? Politicians lure voters with cheap gifts; cookers that explode, stoves that leak

It's almost a month before Karnataka goes to polls, and pretty much like every election and each time, there is desperation to woo the voters. From petty bribes to big threats to small treats, whatever fetches the desired numbers to win Karnataka Assembly Elections.

From the first set of ground reports trickling in, most political candidates are distributing essentials like pressure cookers, stoves, etc to the poor and those falling in the lower income bracket. Apart from the moral and ethical implications of buying votes, several of these "cheap gifts" offered by almost all political parties are endangering the lives of unsuspecting voters. In one such incident, a pressure cooker gifted to a Karnataka voter by Congress MLA DT Rajegowda exploded while the food was being cooked in it.

The accident caused not just safety concerns but even outrage among voters. It's not just cookware but novel gifts that have been seized by enforcement agencies in the past month. Reportedly, the Commercial Tax Department seized 5,000 sarees, 5,000 school and college bags with his photo stamped on them, from the house of BJP MLA R Shankar raided on the basis of a tip-off.

FIR for gifts to voters

Last week, an FIR was registered against Congress MLA Shamanur Shivshankarappa and former Congress MLA Shamanur Mallikarjun for allegedly distributing gifts to voters in Davanagere.

Crackdowns continue

From the ubiquitous cash to kitchen sets, gift hampers to household essentials, Karnataka Police has reportedly been cracking down on those bribing. Last month, Karnataka Police seized a bag containing Rs 5,54,440 in cash from a car driver, who could not produce documents for the cash.

It's been raining other popular gifts like television sets, mixer grinders, mobile phones, sarees, silver coins, trips to Goa and pilgrimage centers to lure voters of all kinds. The polling for the state takes place in a single phase on May 10 and it's high time the voters realize that nothing is for free and selling votes especially comes at a hefty price.