Pocket watch in Karnataka

With the election code of conduct in force in Karnataka, politicians are wary of carrying too much cash on them since government officials on election duty are wont to seize money they believe could be used for enticing voters. But it is easy to make a mockery of this stricture as Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy showed. When he landed in a hired helicopter, which costs Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 an hour, to address a rally recently, an official monitoring for code violations found just a Rs 500 note in Kumaraswamy's pocket.