VIBHA VERMA

vibha@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: Traditional haldi kum-kums have become a way for highly influential politicians to distribute money circumventing the election code of conduct.

Lakhs of rupees were distributed during this ceremony in major politically sensitive places; entire process which was held in camera by the Election Commission but enough measures also used to hide the money in goodies.

The politicians are ostensibly using their wives or self-help groups under their patronage to push in this money to voters in the run up for the polls.

In one such haldi kum-kum at Dhargalim in Pernem taluka, Rs 5,000 each was distributed to the women through tiffin boxes, given as a gift during the ceremony.

A local self-help group was involved in this ceremony.

Finding unique ways to stay away from the election code of conduct, these ceremonies were also used to distribute cash as a help for farmers. Or at times, the agriculture commodities are disbursed amongst women to sustain agriculture.

In a similar attempt, in Poriem one of the woman farmers was given a sack of chilly seeds and in it was a packet containing Rs 2000.

Sources said the illiterate woman was afraid after being told by one of her neighbours that Election Commission would raid her hut. “To her bad luck, entire money in the sack was eaten by rats as the sack was stashed at a place where there were rats galore.

In yet another incident at Poriem itself, few were distributed ‘agricultural materials’ for which the candidate, with the help of a women’s group, supposedly spent more than Rs 28,000.

Haldi kum-kum is a social gathering in which married women exchange haldi (turmeric) and kum-kum (vermillion powder) as a symbol of their married status and wishing for their husbands’ long lives.

The ceremony, this election season, was used for their husbands’ long innings in politics!

Highly places sources stated that the Election Commission did not have any inkling about this ceremony, which was used to push several lakh rupees.

An eye witnesses stated that women from nearby villages had gathered at a place where hostess performed the ceremony. “There was a surprise in each tiffin box. There were notes of Rs 5,000 in it. No one protested”, a woman said.

Traditional haldi kum-kums were always a front to lure woman voters. Election Commission in its recent directives had asked Speaker of Legislative Assembly Pratapsing Rane’s wife, Vijayadevi to hold haldi kum-kum in Sattari taluka in-camera.

Vijayadevi has been traditionally performing the mass haldi kum-kum in the constituency of her husband and her son, Vishwajit.

The Commission’s observers had video-graphed each move during the ceremony which was held between January 15-30.

Not to forget, the women were decked up in their best expensive sarees and jewelry to get caught on camera during the ceremony.

A senior official from the Commission said that the ceremonies by senior politicians’ wives were more under scanner.

Election Commission officials said that they have been trying to ensure that not a single ceremony went unrecorded. “We recorded everything. But we can’t book cases until people come forward and help us”, an officer said.