Independent candidate in Yadgir, Karnataka deposits poll fee of ₹10,000 in ₹1 coins

Independent candidate in Yadgir, Karnataka deposits poll fee of ₹10,000 in ₹1 coins

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

April 20, 2023: Preparations for the upcoming Karnataka Elections, scheduled to be held on May 10, are already underway. With political members vying for tickets and submitting their nomination papers, party leaders are leaving no stone unturned to win the hearts of the voters. Amid the ongoing campaigns and state tours, an interesting piece of information has come to the fore. An independent and young candidate in Yadgir deposited an amount of Rs 10,000 in the form of one-rupee coins at the electorate office as his poll fee. This bizarre way of depositing the said amount gave the election officials a tough time in counting the sum of money.

 

According to a report by Times Now, the non-party candidate is named Yankappa. On Tuesday, he arrived at the Tahsildar’s office uniquely, a banner hanging from his neck to submit his nomination papers for contesting from the Yadgir constituency.

The poster around his neck bore the names of influential members of the society, including Swami Vivekananda, Dr BR Ambedkar, Kanakadasa - a Karnataka-based saint poet, and Basaveshwara - a 12th-century social reformer. The preamble of the Indian Constitution was also inscribed on the poster.

 

#WATCH | An independent candidate Yankappa paid his deposit money of Rs 10,000 entirely in one rupee coins while filing his nomination from Yadgir constituency of Karnataka. He collected the coins from people across the constituency, to contest the Karnataka elections on May 10. pic.twitter.com/OIfcLF223d

— ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2023

Further, below the pictures, there was also a message written in the Kannada language which translated to, “Not just one rupee, with your one vote, you vote me one day, I will give you freedom from poverty.”

Yankappa revealed that he received the deposited 10,000 rupees from the common people while on a Rath Yatra, to contest for the elections. The independent candidate shared that he has been conducting Rath Yatra for the past year, during which he visited about 118 villages in the Yadgir constituency and collected a hefty amount, but through one-rupee coins.

Proud of his achievement, Yankappa further disclosed that he did not receive the money through begging, but by using the slogan, “Vote, and I will give you freedom from poverty". In this year’s election, the deposit payment of each candidate was Rs 10,000. Owing to Yankappa’s seemingly impossible feat, the electoral officers were forced to spend approximately 2 hours counting the heap of coins spread on the table.