Nikhil Kumaraswamy appeals to people not to place bets over poll results

With the hard-fought battle in Channapatna bypoll expected to go down to the wire, stakes are high among poll-watchers in the constituency.

With the hard-fought battle in Channapatna bypoll expected to go down to the wire, stakes are high among poll-watchers in the constituency.

Days after Congress candidate C.P. Yogeshwar appealed to his followers and others not to place bets on the election outcome, it was the turn of NDA candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy to appeal the same.

“No one should bet on election results and lose financially. Switch off your mobile phones and sleep peacefully. Many cases of suicides over betting have been registered,” Mr. Nikhil told presspersons in Hassan on Monday. He, however, did not specify whether the reported suicides were in the past or present.

“The support that I have received from people have raised confidence of my victory. I am confident of winning with the blessings of God and the people,” he said.

The Vokkaliga heartland, where electioneering is intense, is known for people placing high bets over election results. In the previous elections, there have been instances of people not only losing money and jewellery, but also vehicles. In rare cases, residential buildings and harvested crops have been placed on bets, causing enormous financial losses to those losing bets.

Referring to the lottery ban imposed by his father and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy when he was the Chief Minister, Mr. Nikhil spoke of the social problems that online betting was creating. “Several youths are committing suicide due to online betting. It has to be stopped. This can break society, and youth should not indulge in online betting,” he said.