Our politicians are nothing if not determined. Election commission rules notwithstanding, they will do anything to win the election they're contesting and are never short of ideas to woo voters by fair means or foul. We look at bribes gifts and freebies that various political parties have distributed to the aam aadmi of India to get him or her to vote for them:
At a recent event in Mohan Nagar UP, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh made a mention of how his party had distributed the most number of laptops (18 lakh was the number quoted). He further promised that the poor would get smartphones free. Of course, these will be given out only if the Samajwadi Party is voted back into power. Quid pro quo.
According to a Wikileaks revelation, voters in Tamil Nadu are sometimes ‘persuaded’ towards a particular electoral choice with the help of envelopes containing cash hidden inside people's morning newspapers.
Alcohol is one of the most favourite of pre election bribes with which election candidates try to sway voters. Distributing bottles in jhuggis and poor bastis not only sways voter sentiment, a bunch of drunk rowdies come in handy if there is any rabble rousing to be done somewhere.
While some parties pay a sum such as Rs 500 per vote upfront, others give part payment before and part disbursement just before or on the day of polling.
Fans, mixies, and grinders were some of the freebies distributed to poor voters in Tamil Nadu. They just happened to have the picture of CM Jayalalithaa on them to remind people whom to vote for next time around. The Election Commission had to step in and stop the freebie bonanza funded by taxpayers' money.
In a college election in Bhubaneshwar, student voters were wooed with biryani, ice cream and sweets. It has also been seen that in Bihar, biryani and liquor are served to voters under cover or fake wedding events to escape EC scrutiny.
Free dhotis and sarees are also dsictibuted under some or other scheme by political parties… it just so happens that all these gifts and blandishments are sometimes presented to the voters when the elections roll around. Coincidence? Difficult to believe.
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