Beach Pe Charcha: Mangaluru Talks Polls, Air Strikes & Jobs

Congress, JD(S) or BJP, who will get the votes on 18 April? We ask revellers and tourists at a beach in Mangaluru.

At a beach in Mangaluru, we find out what the average voter has to say about the upcoming elections, will it be Congress, Modi or JD(S)?

(Photo: The Quint/Shruti Mathur)

As with any other coastal town, the beach forms an integral part of life in Karnataka’s Mangaluru. The Quint headed to Panambur beach, a short distance away from the city, to find out who would get the people’s vote come 18 April.

How important is the local MP nominee? Do they vote for the party or the PM candidate? Have India’s youth found jobs in the last five years? Are they satisfied? Let’s find out.

On the Air Strikes

Dayanand Kotian, a water sports operator, hailing from Bettampaddy, said that Modi’s response to the Pulwama attacks had strengthened his desire to re-elect the present PM.

“Modi should come to power. Our border needs to be strong. We need him there. What the BJP has done in the last five years, the Congress wasn’t able to all these years, this is why we will vote for the BJP.”

Dayanand Kotian

While others like Imran from Tumakuru, who works as a driver, asked whether the credit for the air strikes should go to the politicians or the soldiers.

Did our soldiers do it (the air strikes) or was it Modi? The soldiers right? People should appreciate them.

Imran, Driver

Some Were Unhappy With the CM’s Loan Waiver Scheme

“Kumaraswamy kept saying that he would waive farmer loans, one year has passed. We are a farming family, my children are also farmers. We have not received any help. We have filed all the applications, but until now nothing has come.”

CS Parvathamma, Farmer from Kodagu

Members from a group from Hassan said they believed that the Janata Dal (Secular)’s Kumaraswamy and supremo Deve Gowda had always supported the farmer community, without discriminating on the basis of caste. One from the group said,

“We will vote for the JD(S). They have helped us a lot. They don’t talk about one caste or the other. They don’t discriminate on the basis of the underprivileged castes. They work for the farmers, and have supported them, so we support that.

A Few Favoured Congress and Youth Power

Imran believed that it was time for a young person to take the reins.

“Now he (Modi) is old. It is time for a young person to come to power, that’s why we have decided to vote for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress this time. Let us see what they do,” he said.