Hubballi: Money, liquor can't lure Mudhol villagers

Hubballi: No promise of money or liquor seems to sway the farmers of Shirol in Mudhol taluk of Bagalkot district. Instead they dip into their own pockets to make sure one of their own is elected in panchayat elections.

This time the villagers are doing the same, shelling out what they can despite the drought they suffered last year, to help the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangh (KRRS) candidate retain the taluk panchayat seat.

Most of Shirol's 20,000 people are agriculturists who grow sugarcane with the help of water from the Ghataprabha left bank canal.

The people here are united in bringing pressure on sugar factories to get the price they want for their produce. They display the same unity when it comes to ensuring  free and fair elections are held in the taluk every time.

As a result only farmers have been elected to the panchayats here for the last decade after the Raitha Sangha began to contest elections disappointed by the response of other parties to the farmers' problems.

Only last year the KRRS won 29 of the 31 seats in the Shirol gram panchayat election.

Not being cash rich like the other parties, the Sangh collects five or ten rupees from every household during door-to-door campaigning to fund its election expenditure.

The self-help formula seems to be working for the people as villages in the taluk have good roads, water and power supply.

All homes have toilets and a veterinary hospital, library and community hall have been built in the area for the villagers.

“We are getting overwhelming response from the villagers. Voters bring food from their homes when they attend election meetings and refuse to be lured by the money and liquor offered by political parties.

“This time they have contributed generously towards the election deposit of the candidate who has been fielded by the Raitha Sangh from Shirol constituency,” say former gram panchayat member, Rachappa Kallolli, who has been elected twice on a KRRS ticket.