We have heard about some very bizarre superstitions that the candidates followed while filing their nominations for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.
The scene during the campaign trail is also no different, and there are two interesting aspects to this effect which have been found at Haveri and Shirahatti, both in Northern Karnataka.
At Haveri, candidates spend a day looking after sheep as they believe it brings them good luck. The candidates wear a woolen blanket on their shoulders and with a stick in their hand they look after the sheep for an entire day.
Legend has it that if any candidate does this he fares well in the elections. The sheep were part of a flock which belonged to a saint called Baly Mama in Haveri. It is said that if the candidates look after the sheep for a day they get the blessings of the saint which helps them in their political career.
Several politicians like C M Udasi and Basavaraj Bommai have followed this ritual and they claim that their political careers have shaped out very well.
At Shirahatti a beeline is made to a tamarind tree which candidates believe brings them good luck. Most candidates believe that during their campaign if they spend time under this tree they go on to fare well in the elections.
Candidates are seen sitting under this tree and addressing voters. This trend was started off by S Patil in 1994 who went on to win the elections on a Janata Dal-Secular ticket. In fact Patil went on to win the elections thrice in a row.
This has lured the rest of the candidates to follow suit and there is a major demand to address an election meeting under this tamarind tree which brings them good luck.
Image: A tamarind tree (photograph for representational purpose only)
Courtesy: Pratheepps/Wikimedia Commons
