Identify the place in the photo at Belgaum

Identify the place in the photo at Belgaum?

Not such a good photo but still, it is good as you are not easily allowed to take photos there. Ram Mallaya had been trying to get this photo for over a month and he got this somehow.

Not a great click to his standards but, can you name the place?

Clue: see at the Yellow spot in the centre.

GIT becomes a strong room for the EVMs

The Gogte institute of Technology in Udyambag has been converted into a strong room where all the EVM’s have been stored.

The college has been closed to common public from the past week. Till 16 may it will be the strong room in which the fate of the candidates is been stored. The college has been sealed from all sides and there is heavy police presence at the venue.
All the candidates are making use of this time to relax themselves after the hectic campaigning for over 20 days. All will be waiting for 16 of May when they will come to know their fate.

Sab Soye Re- overall 52% voting in Belgaum

After all the hula & hype of many NGO’s asking the people to come out and vote, not many came out yesterday. 

There are 13,71,428 voters in Belgaum Parliamentary constituency in which there 6,93,709 males and 6,77,719 females voters.

Out of it 7,53,533 exercised their franchise, 4,05,516 were males and  3,48,017  were females.

Belgaum north Assembly constituency recorded the least voting of 45.67%.  Belgaum south Assembly constituency recorded polling of 46.54%.  Belgaum rural Assembly constituency recorded 54.89% voting.  

 The polling passed of peacefully.

  The low voter turnout should give sleepless nights to BJP candidate.

Only 49% voters come out to vote: All time lowest

The Voters decided not to vote this time for reasons unknown.  The total voters who cast their votes were 49 %.  This is not a final figure and there could be some variance in it. This is the all time lowest previous was 52.29% in 1991.

 In most northern parts of the country which went to polls had very low voter turnout due to the heat wave, but in Belgaum the temperature hovered around the 32 to 35 deg Celsius mark? Now voters were not happy with the candidates in fray or were it that they just decided to be far from this is the question.

 In 2004 66% voters had come out and voted for their candidates, that enthusiasm was not seen today. In 1999 voter turnout was 67%, in 1998-61% and in 1991-52%.

 The Average voter turnout until last election has been 60%. Highest voter turnout was in 1999 which was 66.97% & lowest in 1991 of 52.29%.

 Due to less voting Belgaum could see surprise winner.

 

Time- Up to	% voting
11am	18.1%
12 noon	25%
2 pm	27%
3pm	34%
4 pm	43.5%
5pm	49%

27% polling in Belgaum till 2 pm

27% polling is reported in Belgaum till 2 pm.

Mr.& Mrs.Suresh angadi casting their Vote, Hope he voted for BJP

Polling very slow 18.10% till 11 am

The polling in Belgaum constituency till 11 am was 18.10%. While in Chikodi it was 22.5%.

The voter turnout is also not so good as of now. Hopefully the turn out should increase by evening.

I was first voter in my booth

Today is the day where we as citizens of democratic country have to vote and fulfill their duty in a democracy.

I was there at the polling booth at 6.57am and at 7 am I entered the polling booth to cast my vote but to my surprise as the Polling agents (agents of candidates) had not yet come and the EVM had yet to be sealed.
The polling officer there said that he would seal the EVM in my presence and I could vote later. During this time the polling agents came in and then the process of sealing was done and I could vote at 7.25am to be precise.

Till 7.25 am only one other person was there who had come for voting. Normally at the beginning only senior citizens is seen voting, but this time the picture was bit different as I could not see many people there. Although by 8.15 am 26 persons had voted in my booth of about 793 voters.

So I did my but by voting did you do your duty in democracy? If not get up and go; Vote and come back.

Voting should pick up by noon and we should be able to reach the 60% average mark by 5pm. One notable factor this time is the lack of interest in voting in the elderly. I had asked a few elderly yesterday as when will they go to vote and they had said, we won’t vote this time. But a few of them did come out to vote as I am writing this.

Last night is normally a ‘Kattal raat’ where money change hands not in lakhs but in crores. Inputs from papers suggest that crores of rupees have changed hands last night, that’s another side of democracy.

Still 23 days more for us to know who our MP will be till then keep counting...

Whom did you vote for? Exit Poll

This is the very first exit poll for Belgaum being done the internet. As per EC rules I cannot publish the results immediately, hence they would be published as when we are permitted to do so.

This particular exit poll may not be full proof as many who are participating in the poll might not have voted, HENCE I REQUEST YOU TO ONLY VOTE HERE IF YOU HAVE VOTED IN REAL.

Many would ask why this poll then? It’s just a start on a small blog which with time could become big (if you all support) and at that time there could be a 100% real exit poll done.

If you cant see the form below click this link 
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cFVlSHNfR3RvNkVvVkhiQ0N5OGdPWEE6MA.. 

Till then whom did you Vote For?

My site designer featured on Rediff.com: Aadil- Entrepreneurship runs in my blood

My site designer featured on Rediff.com: Aadil- Entrepreneurship runs in my blood

Meet 26-year-old entrepreneur Aadil Bandukwala. At the age of 26, he is the CEO and owner of not one, but two companies -- a web consultancy firm called Leading Minds and the quirkily named recruitment agency Talent Onions.

Aadil some how came across my site while googling and he immediately mailed me and asked me whether I would give him an opportunity to re design my blog. I readily agreed as I was in search of a designer who had to be from Belgaum as my site is for Belgaum. The deal clicked and what you are now all seeing is the design made by Aadil’s design team at Leading Minds. In 4 days, the whole site was re laid and many of you have acclaimed that the design of the blog is next Gen design. I am Proud to be associated with Aadil. This story published in Rediff just 3 days after he lost his Bachelors degree; I wish him all the best in his new life and in his career.

Some excerpts from the interview on Rediff.com:
After school, he took the CAT exam and received admission to the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (Pune), where he chose to study entrepreneurship. Three months into the academic year, however, all of us who had elected for the subject were still to attend a single lecture -- the institute was simply not holding the class! We decided to approach the Dean and were told that there were no faculty members to teach entrepreneurship and that the college would be happy to transfer us to another course." Dissatisfied with this option, Aadil did take a transfer -- to the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) in Ahmedabad. There he was a model student, topping his classes and winning the Student of the Year award.

He took a loan from his father to start up Leading Minds --a venture that started as an HR firm, then took up education consultancy and finally wound up as a web agency. Dad wanted him to join the family business, but he asked him for five years' time to try my hand at something new. Atique, his younger brother who has always been interested in the family firm, so I wanted him to join my father instead.
Leading Minds started as niche area of coaching students for MBA programmes. However, money was there in the building websites and web development, so he went up there.

In 2007, one of Aadil's professors from the EDI, assistant vice-president of BPO Genpact got in touch with him, requesting him to help the company hire people. Aadil launch his second company -- recruitment agency Talent Onions. He was only 22 then, so most people just did not believe I had it in me. Then we landed Ambuja Cement as a client and Siemens followed soon after. Today he has 13 clients.

“I will always be based out of Belgaum. I love the small town life -- being able to come home for lunch everyday, deciding when I want to work and when I do not. Entrepreneurship is a definite boon when it comes to your personal life -- now I have taken 25 days off to get married and work hasn't stopped, my employees have all pitched in. Moreover, my friends are all in Belgaum and I want to give back to this city as well. And if all this isn't reason enough, my mom can't bear it when I'm away -- it was very difficult for her when I was studying in Ahmedabad” Aadil said.

Read complete story here. The whole story is worth reading.
Aadil You made us proud.

Bats world near Govaves

Symbol of Maratha pride saffron flag make people see red

Continuing with the media coverage for the elections here is a story from the DNA.

The crux of the whole story is it wont be a cakewalk for Angadi this time as it was last time. I have also said the same thing on this blog. This election will be won based on Caste & language rather than on issues of development.

The month of May will not only see a new government at the Centre, but also the 'rightful owner' of the colour saffron in Belgaum.
One of the northernmost districts of Karnataka, Belgaum, has over two lakh Marathis. The Marathi population has been defiantly hoisting a saffron flag on the district municipal building since the 1950s.
The flag, they say, is a symbol of Maratha pride. Now the saffron colour and its symbolic connotations have become a major campaign issue. A fight is on between the Hindutva brigade and the Marathis over who 'owns' the colour.
Things turned awry on March 17 this year when the Marathis were not allowed to hoist the flag at the new municipal corporation building as a PIL had been filed in a local court against the practice. Matters became complicated when BJP MP Suresh Angadi decided to intervene. Swearing on Kannada pride, he fought with Marathi leaders and hoisted the flag.
This resulted in a clash between Angadi's men and Kannada Rakshana Vedike activists, who accused the BJP MP of being anti-Kannada for letting the Marathis usurp the saffron colour.
In the melee, it dawned on Angadi that Maratha pride was all very well, but it would scupper his chances with the rest of the populace, including the 4.7 lakh Kannada-speaking lingayats in the area who traditionally supported the BJP due to chief minister BS Yeddyurappa.
With opponents like Amar Singh Patil of the Congress and AB Patil of the Janata Dal (S), both lingyats, Angadi realised that the general elections would not be a cakewalk.
To make matters worse, the Akhil Bharatiya Veera Shaiva Mahasabha (ABVSM), which decides on lingayat support to candidates, has not given its blessings to any party. When DNA spoke to Angadi, he appeared upset at suggestions that he had taken a partisan stand on the flag issue. "The colour saffron stands for Hindu pride. Hindu warriors have fought under the saffron flag for centuries. What Varun Gandhi has done for Hindus in the north, I have done for Hindus in Belgaum," he said. When asked if that meant he was not interested in votes from Marathi-speaking residents of the district, he hastened to add, "Marathi and Kannada are like my two eyes. In Belgaum, one cannot see without both of them."
When AB Patil was asked to comment on the war over saffron ownership, he preferred to remain quiet. Saffron, it seems, has managed to make people in Belgaum see red.
Source: DNA

Campaigning ends tomorrow

It’s almost here; the voting day just a couple of days ahead & the candidates and their party workers are making their final efforts to woo the voters.

Tomorrow is the last day for campaigning and all candidates are trying to reach that part of the constituency that they have not yet covered. It’s not only candidates but their others half’s also that are taking keen interest in the canvassing.

As the doom day comes closer now all the activities after tomorrow will be different and as it is said the night before voting day is very crucial and loads of money change hands (I haven’t seen this but just heard).
Now all depends on Thursday 23rd how many people come out and vote & once that is done then it’s almost a month long wait to know who our MP is? The counting this time is GIT I guess and the college has been closed since all the necessary arrangements have to be made. The college will be closed from 23 and sealed as all the EVM will be kept there.

These 15 odd days have been troublesome for the common man, the first month of the year normally businessmen need new bond papers and during these 15 days the State bank of Mysore the sole distributor of stamp papers has stopped it due to lack of staff as the staff is on election duty. The same prevails in some nationalized banks as well.

Even commuters have not been left behind as almost 300 buses of the NWKRTC have been put on election duty and another 200 more would be put on duty from Wednesday to Friday. Hence many bus routes have less number of busses plying which is causing hardships to the commuters. The police also are very busy with the ‘Bandobast’ for the elections and forces from Kerala have been called in to support the local police to ensure safe polling.

In all it’s a wait now for that moment in Democracy where each one should come out and vote.

Ghar mein Baithne se, Chillane se Kuch nahi Hoga, Bahar Aa ke Vote do.

Kerala Police in Belgaum on election duty

58 years same issues and similar candidates- we need a change

The election campaigning is at its peak with just two days remaining for the canvassing all the candidates are trying to lure the voters. But the voters are still non committal or undecided.
Vilas, a salesman in a cloth shop says “what difference will it make if BJP come or Congress. Nothing is cheap and surviving has become a hard task. He said I will vote for someone, but that someone is not decided and not thought of also.”

It is this time, when the politicians come and fall at your feet once in 5 years and now they will hear to you, but will they hear after they get elected is a question. All the parties make themselves appear as to they are the most people friendly and they are the only one who can develop the nation (all political parties think they can develop the nation but the NATION does not think so). Independents are free birds as they did not get any ticket from a party or they just defected from one promise that as no party could keep up their promises they should vote for them.

The voter is not new to all this but he will have to give a verdict in the coming week.
Issues since the last 58 years have been the same. We will provide food, water, employment, price rise, community welfare, corruption etc etc. So what did you do in the last 58 years if you still have to provide the people with basic amenities of food, water and employment? Two new additions to that list ‘Stability’ & ‘terrorism’ has been added to this.

Rakaskop lifeline for Belgaum

16 Kms from Belgaum literally means a hamlet of a Rakkasa (Giant), who is stated to have lived on a hillrock near the village. A cavern in laterite on the hillrock resembling a huge seated human figure is shown by the people to remind his past existance. Here is a Dam across the river Markandeya, supplying drinking water to Belgaum.

 

The Rakaskop reservoir is on the verge of getting dry as there has been very less rain in this month. Still there is about 5 feet of water after which it will come to its lowest level. If there is no rain in the coming days city could be in for some more water cuts.

 
I found this photo on Flickr uploaded by alextherattil.

  Wild ducks on a rainy day at Rakaskop, Belgaum

 

Wikimapia