Farm labourers harvest a bounty with poll season 

RAMANAGARA: Thirty-six-year-old Lakshmi (name changed), an agriculture labourer, is busier than normal nowadays. Working at a paddy field, she is all smiles shifting bundles of the harvested crop at a farm near her village since morning. She will do the same work in the afternoon but at a different farm. Later in the evening, she heads out to work as an election worker, campaigning for candidates contesting the Gram Panchayat election. This is a bumper time of earnings for Lakshmi and other villagers with the harvesting and election season falling together. The frustration of the last few months with none of them getting any work because of Covid has given way to a month of jackpot.

Acchalu, a small village in Hunsahalli Grama Panchayat in Ramanagara district, has a population of around 500 and is some 60 km from Bengaluru that predominantly grows coconut and paddy crops. As December-end is the season to harvest paddy, the entire village is busy. Shashikala and her husband, who too are farm labourers, earn Rs 250-300 per shift. “We work two shifts almost every day during the harvesting season. The first is from 9.30 am to 1 pm and the next from 2.30 pm to 6 pm. Women are paid Rs 250, while men Rs 300,’’ she said.

It is not over when they reach home in the evening after the hard day’s work, “We head out for election campaigning. It goes on till 9 pm or 10 pm. Once done, candidates pay us money or feed us a non-vegetarian meal. For men, they supply liquor and beedis. Its definitely tiring, but we get to earn a little extra money and enjoy good food,’’ said Chinnakka, another labourer who also works with her husband. “I am planning to paint our house with this money,’’ she said.

Parvathi and Kenchappa, another couple from Gowdanadoddihalli, too follow the same schedule. Apart from money and food, some candidates recharge their mobile phones. “Unlike in cities, people here don’t like reading pamphlets. We visit each house individually and explain to them what the candidate is promising them. We campaign for our relatives, candidates from our caste or anyone else who seeks our help. We don’t always get money. Sometimes, the candidates promise us that they will build good roads. Once they win, they do keep their promise,” Kenchappa said confidently. Asked what is the guarantee that the winner would take up the works promised, he said, “In villages, it is all based on trust.”  

At most of these Gram Panchayats in Ramanagara, many candidates, who own pieces of land, are also seen working in their fields. Even if they want to campaign in the morning, they can’t, as they cannot afford to lose fully grown crops. They too prefer campaigning in the evening.

Taking small breaks while doing farm work, they send WhatsApp messages containing posters, voice messages and even videos to their electorate. Nagaraju from Kailancha Gram Panchayat said he gets five to six messages every day, either from candidates or from those who are campaigning for them. 

Malalahalli villagers boycott poll
Davangere: Villagers of Malalahalli, coming under Yelehole Grama Panchayat (GP) in Harihar taluk, have boycotted the GP election to protest against poor drainage, roads, distribution of houses and job cards under MGNREGA. The last date to file nominations ended on December 16, but not a single person came forward to contest the election, despite the district administration trying to convince villagers to file the papers.

After the villagers submitted a memorandum to the taluk administration, protesting against lack of infrastructure, Tahsildar K B Ramachandrappa and his team visited the village and asked the villagers to take part in the electoral process. But none did Ramachandrappa told TNIE, “We assured the villagers that their problems will be solved in a phased manner.

They initially agreed to contest, but they have again boycotted.” The villagers have also convinced other, neighbouring villagers too to boycott the polls. These villages will have to face elections six months later and a fresh notification will be issued, he said. ENS