In a novel way to woo voters, several companies in Bengaluru are offering free food to free taxi rides to encourage people to vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
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The southern city in Karnataka, Bengaluru has history of low voter turnout in the country. However, this time the city is likely to witnesses an upsurge as hotels, taxi services and other companies have announced initiatives to encourage people to cast their franchise.
Among the initiatives announced by the companies for the people in Bengaluru include free beer, discounted cab rides and even free health check-ups.
At some food outlets, customers need to show their finger stained with indelible ink as proof they've voted, reports said.
Reports said popular amusement park Wonderla is giving tickets to voters at discounted prices, while Deck of Brews, a pub in the city, is giving away free beer to its first 50 customers who have voted.
Ridesharing app Blu-Smart, meanwhile, is offering a 50% discount to passengers traveling within 30kilometer(18 miles) of polling stations, while taxi aggregator Rapido is giving free rides to people with disabilities and elderly voters.
Bengaluru is slated to go for polls on Friday in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls.
Earlier, the state's high court allowed an association of hotels to give food for free or at discounted prices as long as it did not violate election guidelines.
"Different hotels and restaurants will be providing different things to the voters based on their personal call," PC Rao, president of the hotel association, was quoted by the Bangalore Mirror newspaper as having said.
During the last Lok Sabha elections, the city's Bangalore South constituency had recorded the lowest voting percentage in Karnataka state at 53.7%, while the turnout was also low in Bangalore Central (54.3%) and Bangalore North (54.7%) compared with the state's total turnout at 68%.
