Udupi is no Chettinad. Neither its well-known cuisine nor the less-known politics has the kind of spice the Tamil Country has. Yet one hadn’t bargained for such a bland fare. Hardly any posters or banners, no vehicles with blaring megaphones, candidates on the move—forget a motorcade—with not a second car in tow. The only thing EC hasn’t enforced is a car pool. This time it is the Maximum Election Commission at work here.

In this temple town, Gopalswamy’s men are feared next only to God. “Are you actually from the press or the EC?” ask BJP men who are waiting for their candidate at the gate of a food processing unit in Brahmavaram. “Please show your identity card.” In lieu of which, I show them the sketch book and they are relieved. They haven’t seen a doodling election observer yet.

Candidate Raghupathi Bhat has to defend his seat. No incumbency issue, he says. He has done plenty of “Development”. Then what is the issue? Last year there was a communal flare up in the neighbourhood... “In Mangalore. Udupi was quiet.” He quickly cuts in. Let Continent Udupi remain so. This son of a driver to the pontiff of a local mutt had no political advantages to start with, unlike his rival, a second generation politico. Raghupathi stabilised himself running a finance company before making a rather sudden appearance in BJP circles to quickly rise as MLC and then MLA. He is confident he’ll trounce his Congress rival, a class fellow in school.

... contd.