VATAKARA, February 27: For the people of the remote village of Keezhariyur in the north-east part of Kozhikode district, elections are a boon. And not without any reason.For, elections are synonymous with hassle-free travel and comfort for them. During elections they are blessed with a fleet of State buses plying through their dusty hamlet.Normally, they have to depend on a private bus and jeeps to travel to and fro.When A Kanaran of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) contested from Meppayur Assembly constituency during 1992, he managed to get a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus as MLA Bus from Kozhikode to Meppayur through Keezhariyur. And he won the elections.After becoming the MLA, he exerted pressure on the Government and one more KSRTC bus began plying through Keezhariyur, perhaps as a form of thanksgiving, soon after election.The buses were routed to Sabarimala during the pilgrim season. What happened to the buses thereafter, which vanished as it came,Keezhariyur doesn't know.Years passed. It was 1996, and time for another election.Along with the campaign vehicles, a KSRTC bus passed through Keezhariyur on a fine morning, on its way from Kozhikode to Kakkattil, which was Kanaran's MLA bus which had disappeared years back during Sabarimala season.This time, the CPM candidate for Koyilandy constituency was P Viswan and at Meppayur Kanaran repeated his performance. As Keezhariyur forms part of Koyilandy, Viswan promised a bus through Keezhariyur. Both Viswan and Kanaran won the election.Within a week, the MLA bus of Kanaran which was plying regularly during campaign period, vanished. Not that Keezhariyur rued it. For, with the election result came the bus that Viswan had promised.During the last Sabarimala season, this bus also disappeared.And ever since the present Lok Sabha polls were notified, the bus is back again.Not to be disheartened by such poll tactics, Keezhariyur has found a suitable name for the poll time special bus - votupetty(ballot box), of course on wheels - that comes with election and disappears after it.
