Wives drum up votes for their men in Dharwad

Hubballi: The wives of candidates and prominent politicians have joined the campaign to attract women voters in the Dharwad local bodies seat. They are visiting every nook and corner of villages to seek votes for their husbands.

The wives are leaving no stone unturned to mobilize women voters who constitute more than fifty percent of the vote-bank. They are trying to woo women members by highlighting the various welfare schemes launched by the current government and previous governments.

The Dharwad Council seat has 17 Assembly constituencies spread over Dharwad, Haveri and Gadag districts. The Congress had won12 Assembly seats, BJP four and JD(S) one seat. Sneha Shettar, wife of BJP candidate Pradeep Shettar, has been sweating it out round the clock conducting a whirlwind tour in these districts along with members of the women’s wing of the party. Shilpa Shettar, wife of Opposition leader Jagadish Shettar, is touring the region to seek first preferential votes for her brother-in-law in the dual-seat constituency.

Sneha and Shilpa Shettar are trying to woo women GP members by highlighting the Bhagya Laxmi, Madilu and bicycle schemes launched by the previous BJP government. They are offering various benefits to women voters like tailoring jobs to help them become self-reliant. "My brother-in-law Jagadish Shettar introduced several schemes for women during his tenure as CM. Reservation provided in panchayat elections helped women gain power. My husband too will work hard for the welfare of poor rural women after winning the Council election", Sneha Shettar said.

Congress rival Srinivas Mane's wife Usha too conducted a whirlwind tour of three districts to woo women voters. She has been banking on the achievement of Congress government and its effort to form women SHGs during the last two decades. She is also trying to convince the voters by highlighting the effort made by former PM Indira Gandhi to empower women.