Residents of Paduvalahippe in Holenarsipur taluk do not expect any political party to visit their place for the election campaign. According to the residents, no candidate has campaigned in the village so far. “Why would anybody come here,” is the common response in the village when asked if any candidate had come seeking votes.
Paduvalahippe, a village of around 1,000 people, is second-native of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. Though he was born at Haradanahalli, Mr. Deve Gowda is more attached to Paduvalahippe, where he moved in the late 1970s. He and his family members are residents of the village and have got their names enrolled in the polling booth here. Mr. Deve Gowda, his wife Channamma, son Revanna and his family members visit the place during elections to vote without fail.
“Hardly any person of the village votes against the JD(S). Mr. Deve Gowda and his son Revanna have provided all benefits to the village. Why should we vote for others? So far, nobody has come to seek our votes. Everybody knows whom we vote for,” says Susheela, a home-maker of the village.
There are no posters or banners supporting the JD(S) in the village.
The youths are proud to be residents of Paduvalahippe, where the former PM has a house. “Mr. Deve Gowda visits our village on all voting days. Besides that, he spends time with us during Ramadevara Habba, held once in three years. He does not miss the festival,” said Sachin C.H, a B.A. student.
This is among the rare villages where students can study up to postgraduation. “We offer postgraduation courses in Mathematics, Commerce, History, Political Science and Social Work. Students from 80 km away come here to study. We have hostel facility for both girls and boys,” said G.D. Narayana, principal of H.D. Deve Gowda Government First Grade College in the village. The college established in 2006 has a strength of 763 students.
Earlier, students used to go to distant places for higher education. “Now we have college in our village itself. Interestingly, people from different places are coming here to study,” said Anil Kumar, a diploma student. The village also has a Government Industrial Training Institute. Every house has got piped water supply. “We have no demands to place before any candidate. So far, no candidate has campaigned in the village,” said Krishnamurthy, a resident.
