Women wait to vote in Mangalore on Friday. The second phase of polling in the state saw a 60 per cent turnout. (AFP)

Udupi, May 16: Swami Sugunendra Theertha, head of the Krishna Udupi temple here, has had a busier schedule than usual of late because of elections.

The swami isn’t too political himself, but the elections have drawn a number of political celebrities to this town and to the temple.

Over the past fortnight, former Congress chief minister S.M. Krishna, central minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the BJP’s chief minister from Gujarat, Narendra Modi, and its candidate for the post in Karnataka, B.S. Yeddyurappa, have visited the shrine.

“We need all the assistance we can get. So, when Krishna and Scindia came here for canvassing, we made sure they visited the Krishna temple for blessings for the party,” an official at the Congress office here, in charge of the elections, said. Udupi voted today.

A BJP official confirmed that Modi and Yeddyurappa’s visits, too, were linked to the elections.

“Politicians from across party lines come to us for our blessings. They promise assistance in case they come to power. But the temple functions independently, and the government of the day also hardly interferes,” Sri Gopalacharya, a senior priest at the temple, said.

But politicians aren’t alone in seeking the swami’s blessings ahead of the polls.

Chief election commissioner N. Gopalaswami, here to scrutinise the election commission’s machinery, visited the temple as well.

Gopalaswami’s conversation with the swami revolved around the elections, another temple source said.

“The swami blessed him for the smooth functioning of the elections, but also had concerns of his own regarding the polls,” the source said.

The swami is learnt to have told Gopalaswami that he has reservations about the first past the post system of choosing representatives followed in India. “The swami is concerned that currently, those who win 51 per cent votes win the seat, and can afford to neglect concerns of the remaining 49 per cent,” the source said.

When asked, Gopalacharya confirmed the same.

The temple, the town’s most famous landmark, is also where the renowned Udupi food originated.

According to legend, the Krishna idol at the 800-year-old temple feeds on this cuisine 14 times a day. “Because Krishna is a child, he needs a variety of food in different meals. So, while one meal may consist of dosas and vadas, another is an Udupi thali with rice, rasam and a variety of vegetables. Different sweets are also served,” said Gopalacharya as dozens of temple workers chopped pumpkins.

The elections, though, may throw up food for thought of a different variety for the Congress.

Pramod Madvaraj, the Congress candidate from Udupi city, is expected to put up a good fight against the BJP. But even local officials admit the party’s chances are dim in other seven constituencies in the district.

Since the 2004 Assembly elections when the BJP emerged the single largest party in the state, the Congress has had “no occasion to celebrate”, a party official said.

Exit Poll

An NDTV exit poll put the BJP on top, predicting it would win 32-42 of the 66 seats that voted on Friday. The Congress was given 15-20, the Janata Dal (S) 8-12 and others 2-4 seats.

Of 155 seats that have voted in the first two rounds, the channel has forecast 73 for the BJP, 45 for the Congress and 42 for the Dal (S).

The last round of polling will cover 69 seats