Obituaries come off in villages

  • | Thursday | 21st March, 2019

Mandya: In Indian villages, electricity poles and switchboards often serve as de facto walls that announce key events including death of an eminent personality in the locality, or birth anniversaries. But we have pasted photographs of some respected elders of our villages as a mark of respect. The EC staff has removed many of these posters.”Among the posters that have been targetted is an advertisement board from which the popular Kannada actor Upendra’s visage beamed. But, for the duration of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections , the switchboards and poles may no longer serve this unintended secondary function, at least not to further the prospects of political parties. Upendra’s face has now been obscured.

Mandya: In Indian villages, electricity poles and switchboards often serve as de facto walls that announce key events including death of an eminent personality in the locality, or birth anniversaries. But, for the duration of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections , the switchboards and poles may no longer serve this unintended secondary function, at least not to further the prospects of political parties. With the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) coming into force across the country, the Election Commission has initiated the process of pulling down posters and other such publicity materials that feature political messages or leaders of parties.EC staff in Mandya, and other parts of the state, sprang into action soon after the poll calendar for the Lok Sabha elections was announced, the posters and hoardings having anything to do with political parties have come down.Flexes and posters strung to poles along the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway have been among those that have been targetted by the EC staff. Although villagers have pointed out to the EC personnel that many posters have no political affiliations, the staff have refused to heed these pleas, and gone ahead with the process, citing poll procedure.Ramegowda, a resident of Mandya taluk, said, “We are not opposed to implementing the Model Code of Conduct. But we have pasted photographs of some respected elders of our villages as a mark of respect. The EC staff has removed many of these posters.”Among the posters that have been targetted is an advertisement board from which the popular Kannada actor Upendra’s visage beamed. Upendra’s face has now been obscured. The actor recently launched the Uttama Prajakeeya Party, and has voiced his desire to contest the Lok Sabha elections.Interestingly, the staff had covered photographs and images of Congress leader Ramya, who was then an ambassador for a footwear company, during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when she was touted as a possible Congress candidate from Mandya.

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