A woman from Galagali village in Karnataka’s Bagalkote district gained praise for refusing a bag of sugar given by supporters of Karnataka Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani. In a viral video, the woman can be seen repeatedly saying 'no' to the Minister’s supporters who were urging her to take the bag of sugar. When one of Nirani's supporters tried to place the bag of sugar inside her home, she can be seen placing it outside her door. Politicians across party lines have been busy plying voters with gifts ranging from digital clocks to dinner sets, TVs, saris, pressure cookers, and even life insurance premiums. With the model code of conduct not yet in place, all political parties have been working overtime to woo voters with gifts. Very few voters are resistant to these gifts, with many accepting them.
According to reports, women in certain constituencies in Bengaluru were surprised to receive a sari as a Sankranti wish, with the option to claim it through an OTP. In other areas, BPL households received 5-litre aluminium cookers worth around Rs 1,500, and gift boxes of plates, boxes, and bowls.
In January, Byrathi Suresh, the Congress MLA from Bengaluru’s Hebbal constituency in Bengaluru, distributed LED smart televisions to people in his constituency ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. Aam Aadmi Party member Manjunath Naidu filed a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that Byrathi Suresh was distributing 40,000 TVs worth around Rs 8,000 each to buy votes. But Suresh claimed that the TVs were being bought with his money and were intended to help students in his constituency attend online classes.
The Model Code of Conduct (MCC), a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI), lays down rules and regulations to be followed by political parties during an election. The code seeks to ensure that parties and candidates conduct themselves in an ethical manner during the election period. With the MCC not yet in place, political parties in Karnataka have been distributing gifts to voters without any checks or balances. Reacting to these incidents, the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Kumar Meena urged enforcement agencies to take action against political parties and politicians as per the existing rules and regulations to curb such practices even before the poll process kicks in. He also suggested that departments such as the Commercial Tax Department could raid the warehouses and find out whether there was any violation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act.
The Karnataka Assembly elections are due to take place in April-May, 2023.