Techies head for distant North Karnataka hometowns to vote

DHARWAD: Thousands of

professionals

, including techies, working in Bengaluru and other places are making plans for a quick trip to their hometowns in

North Karnataka

so they fulfil a key obligation of the citizenry:

cast a vote

. The region’s 14 constituencies will go to polls on April 23, which is a Tuesday.


Ahead of the polling day, there are a few public holidays, Mahavir Jayanti (17th) and Good Friday (19th), apart from the weekend. Those lucky to get leave in this period intend to reach their native place early; others plan to make only a day-long visit.

However, many are finding it difficult to make travel arrangements: a large number of state transport and private buses are not available as they have been hired for election duty, airfares have shot up, and it’s hard to get a confirmed train booking.

“We will work till late evening on April 18 and then leave for our places. We will either hire a cab or organise a carpool,” said Sandeep, a software engineer. “If that doesn’t work out, we will set out on the morning of April 23 and hopefully reach our hometown by noon. We will vote by 6.30 pm.”

Working professionals said travelling this would most likely be taxing, but the satisfaction of being able to vote would take away any tiredness.

We have to report for work on Wednesday (April 24), so we will have to reach Bengaluru latest by Wednesday morning,” said Priyanka Nikhil Kulkarni, a college lecturer.

Meanwhile, Sainath Nayak, a software engineer from Dharwad, lamented that successive governments had failed to create jobs for techies in North Karnataka. “Thousands of techies from North Karnataka are slogging away in Bengaluru. They will be happy to return to their native place if the government helps companies set up units in the region,” he said.