The Bengaluru Hotels Association (BHA) has appealed to the Karnataka government to revoke the ‘dry day’ regulation that was implemented for the upcoming Legislative Council polls, fearing losses of over ₹500 crore to the business.
The association in a letter to the Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday called on the government to review the liquor ban for the period of vote counting and elections.
But the dry day has been called for Wednesday, Oct. 21, through Oct. 23 and will extend again on Oct. 27 – the day votes will be counted, according to the association.
The restrictions will apply to businesses in the hospitality sector, such as bars, restaurants, pubs and others, the association said. It also said the ruling may lead to the lesser revenue to the Karnataka government’s Excise Department.
The scale of the errors was being questioned, as the association maintained that there was a relatively small electorate to the election. It stated that there are some 20,000 voters who can participate of the which about 15,000 are women.
Despite this limited set of voters, imposition of a dry day, excluding limits of the Police commissionerate, will lead to unfair burden on liquor vendors and hospitality sector, said the association.
It further estimated that the restrictions could lead to losses of more than ₹500 crore. This represents its own forecast and the information currently provided has not been independent.
The Bengaluru Hotels Association has urged the chief minister to revoke the ‘dry day’ notification, in its favour.
The biennial elections for four seats in Karnataka Legislative Council will be held on October 23 between 8 am and 4 pm. Two of the seats are for graduates and two for teachers.
The voters’ constituencies are Karnataka South-East Graduates’, Karnataka West Graduates’, Karnataka North-East Teachers’ and Bangalore Teachers’.
The restrictions at present stand, if the government answers the request of the association.