Former Karnataka ’super cop’ reaches out to voters in style

Former Karnataka ’super cop’ reaches out to voters in style

Congress candidate H.T. Sangliana, a former “super cop” of Karnataka, says electioneering in the prestigious Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency is like a dream unfolding as the April 23 polling day nears.

Sangliana was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from the adjacent Bangalore North constituency after defeating Congress veteran and former Union minister C.K. Jaffer Sharief.

This time, after switching parties, the 66-year-old former city police commissioner is contesting from Bangalore Central, which includes some of the areas of his previous constituency post-delimitation. He has been on the move over the last fortnight to reach out to as many of the 1.9 million voters as possible.

“It’s been a dream life. Over the last two weeks, I’ve lost count of the people I met while canvassing door-to-door and campaigning in several localities across the eight assembly segments of this huge constituency,” Sangliana told IANS while on the campaign trail in Gandhinagar.

Though Sangliana’s nomination from the much-sought-after constituency was late in coming, he lost no time in plunging headlong into hectic campaigning that begins early in the day and drags on till midnight.

Typically, he gets cracking at 7 a.m. for the campaign grind after a quick shower and breakfast in his modest sixth floor flat at the National Games Village in upscale Koramangala suburb.

By the time Sangliana sets out in a Honda CRV, with six gun-toting commandos providing him Z plus security cover in an escort jeep, he is swarmed by hordes of party cadres and local leaders to chalk out the day’s campaign route and the schedule for meetings in designated localities.
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Sangliana is locked in a triangular contest with P.C. Mohan of the BJP and B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).

“If elected, I will improve electricity and water supply, repair roads and the drainage system. I will prevent moral policing,” Sangliana claimed, drawing a round of applause from his audience.

“I have always believed in good work to be part of public life. I want to spend the rest of my life working for the people,” he asserted.

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