With the whirlwind campaign for elections concluding at 6.00 PM on Saturday, most of the campaigners, irrespective of the parties, were seen blatantly violating traffic rules in a last moment rush to canvas for votes. This is especially true in the case of campaigners on two-wheelers.

While, party caps have largely replaced the mandatory helmets, which itself is a violation of the road rules, most of the vehicles were carrying more than two persons, which again is defiance. Drunken driving is also major violation as most of the party cadres come to the campaign drunk.

Campaign in vehicles, especially two-wheelers, has by far been the most preferred mode for politicians. Since many political parties have been organizing rallies, two-wheelers have also become the vehicles that most violate the rules.

According to sources, each motorist is paid Rs.200 by the political parties, along with allowances for fuel. The pillion rider also gets Rs.200 for his participation. Since at least 50 vehicles participate in each rally, it has become difficult for the traffic police to catch the violators.

Unfortunately, it is not just the cadre, but also the party leaders who violate the traffic rules, setting bad examples for their party cadre. Some leaders have even reportedly posted pictures of them riding two-wheelers without helmets, on social media.

With the number of vehicles on the increase, due to the elections, the number of violations are also on an upswing. This includes riding without helmet; riding in threes, and drunken driving, which has become a common sight in most of the election campaigns.

The police however are unlikely to file cases against such violations.