“You are educated and enjoy a high level of political awareness and therefore, you are expected to think twice before you cast your ballot instead of repenting later for having elected a corrupt candidate.”
Having appealed to voters in this fashion in the biennial elections to the four seats of Karnataka Legislative Council, including three in north Karnataka districts, Ravikrishna Reddy, an engineer who inspired by the anti-corruption campaigns launched by Anna Hazare and AAP leader Arvin Kejriwal, left his job in the USA and returned home to become a political and social activist, said here on Saturday that candidates of all the three major political parties in these elections viz. the Congress, the BJP and the JD(S) have made very few contributions.
"The sitting MLCs of these parties have nothing to claim on their contribution and service to their respective constituencies during the preceding term," said Mr. Reddy. Many of the new faces are still strangers to the voters by and large. For instance, both sitting MLCs of BJP Arun Shahpur and Mahantesh Shivanand Koujalgi of Congress representing Karnataka North West Teachers’ and Karnataka North West Graduates’ constituencies failed to make their presence felt both inside and outside the Upper House, while enjoying the comforts of taxpayers’ money, he said.
Voters should compare the sitting MLCs seeking re-election and all the new faces, evaluate their social and political standings, and their contribution and services to society before casting votes.
“Yet, if you find no candidate was up to your expectation, then use the NOTA option instead of supporting unworthy leaders.”
Mr.Reddy hoped as the voters in these elections were graduates and teachers, they would not be lured by money or expensive gifts, caste and appeals or any other influence or pressure and pick at least a relatively better candidate.
