Election panel’s clampdown draws ire from politicians

Politicians in Karnataka are angry at Election Commission officials for clamping down on things they feel are well within the rules — canteens, Gandhi caps, even wall paintings,

In Mandya, popular subsidised canteens have had to take down their signboards because they carry the pictures of politicians.

CM Siddaramaiah set off a canteen war when he announced the government’s decision to open subsidised canteens across the state called Indira Canteens, modelled on TN’s Amma Canteens. Janata Dal (Secular) leader TA Saravana had even beaten the government in the race by opening a Namma Appaji Canteen in the state capital in honour of former PM and party supremo HD Deve Gowda, last year days ahead of the official launch of the Indira Canteens on August 15.

These canteens spread outside the capital as well, with JD(S) leaders opening two Appaji Canteens in Mandya, months before two Indira Canteens were opened there. This inspired a street food vendor to open his own canteen named after his favourite film star, Congress leader Divya Spandana; he called it Ramya Canteen after her stage name.

Raghu, who runs the Ramya Canteen, said since chief election commissioner OP Rawat’s announcement of the polling date for the state polls on March 27, his canteen has had to close down in the evening. The reason: it has been found to be in violation of the poll code because the signboard has a picture of Ramya.

“Till even a month ago, the dinner service was the best time for business,” Raghu said. “I cannot run a canteen with a board.”

There are other reasons why candidates are angry with the EC. With the poll panel deciding to have photos of candidates on electronic voting machines for the first time in the state, some leaders are unhappy with some of the rules surrounding the photos.

BENGALURU:

Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar witnessed an unusual spectacle on Saturday. Daring the hot and sultry weather, nearly 15,000 workers and supporters of the Congress thronged the Biju Patnaik International Airport to welcome their new leader, Niranjan Patnaik. From there, they took out a five-kilometre-long roadshow to the party’s headquarters, where enthusiasts camped till midnight to listen to the new leadership team.

It was an unusual sight because, in recent times, such shows of political strength in Bhubaneswar have been limited to either the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) of chief minister Naveen Patnaik or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is seeking to project itself as the principal opposition in the state.

The Congress in Odisha has been in limbo, marred by widespread factionalism, a dysfunctional local leadership, and a steady exodus of workers who have switched to the ruling BJD or the BJP.

Suddenly, things appear to have changed. Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s decisions to put one of his close aides Jitendra Singh in charge of Odisha and then appoint Niranjan Patnaik as the chief of the Pradesh Congress Committee, seem to have given the party the shot in the arm it needed. Odisha goes to the polls in less than a year, concurrently with the 2019 general election.

Niranjan is popular among party workers, resourceful, and a good organiser. A three-time minister in the state government, the 75-year-old is seen as someone who can carry squabbling factions along and turn the party around. These hopes were on display during Saturday’s roadshow and the meeting addressed by the new leadership. But there is something more to the newfound energy and enthusiasm of Congress workers in Odisha. They are sensing an opportunity in the loss of political momentum for the BJP in recent months.

NEWDELHI: