Bommai woos women with free bus passes

NEW DELHI: In a race to consolidate women votebank, which over the years has emerged as a major factor in Karnataka, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai is going ahead with a free bus pass facility for working women and schoolchildren from April 1. The data shows that over the years the state has seen a steep rise in the percentage of women voters. As per the available statistics, while women’s voting percentage has gone up to 71.52, the percentage for men has remained static at 72.67.

It is learnt there are more women voters in north Karnataka districts of  Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada,  Kalaburagi, Koppal, Mysuru, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga and Udupi. 

“Our government is always with the working staff and the management and let us provide a good service to commuters”, the chief minister said. With the BJP rath yatra due to start from March 1, BJP workers have now fanned out across the state to launch a propaganda blitz for the party. The chief minister has asked party functionaries to organise conventions and meetings in all Assembly seats.

Targeting the “common man”, the chief minister on Tuesday launched “Ambari Utsav” by introducing 20 multi-axle Volvo 9600 sleeper buses for long-distance travel. Continuing its move to woo the government employees, the CM said that a proposal has been submitted for a hike in staff salaries, and a suitable decision will be taken after looking into the financial commitments and discussing it with the employees.

Meanwhile, in a significant development, the CM declared that the state government “will hand over” 59 corruption cases filed during the Congress government before the now-dissolved Anti-Corruption Bureau to the Lokayukta. Mr Bommai targeted the Congress and asserted he had “solid evidence to prove the corruption cases filed during the last Congress-led government”. He added that under Congress rule, Karnataka had emerged as one of the “most corrupt states” in the country. Launching a scathing attack on the Opposition party, the CM claimed that “in just four years of the Congress government (2013-17), 3,800 farmers had committed suicide, which was highest in the country”.

Saying that the Congress failed to fulfill electoral promises, the chief minister claimed that “of the 173 promises made by the Congress in its manifesto, it could implement only a few promises”.