Malls, markets and commercial hubs wore a deserted look on the day when votes in the Lok Sabha elections were counted on Tuesday.
Roads had fewer vehicles, while shops, restaurants and cafes did half their usual business.
When DH spoke to a cross section of people, some were surprised by the result, while others batted for change. A few others, especially those from the lower strata of society, said their livelihood mattered more than who held the reins of power.
Vendors at Russell Market in Shivajinagar and KR Market were disheartened by the drop in sales for the past few days. “It does not matter who comes to power. We have our own difficulties. We sell perishable goods. I will have to either sell them for a throw away price or simply dump them,” said Vani, a vendor at KR Market.
Vendors at KR Market said they had bought flowers in bulk, hoping for a bumper election sale, but that did not happen.
While darshinis witnessed average business, restaurants and cafes saw even less footfall.
The manager of a popular restaurant in the Central Business District (CBD) said: "We usually make anything between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1 lakh a day and cross over Rs 2 lakh on the weekend. But today, we have not crossed Rs 50,000 and closed early, too.”
With fewer people on the roads, auto-rickshaw drivers complained about poor business. "We had to wait for almost 45 minutes to get a passenger. The flow of passengers has been bad. We have lost almost 50 per cent of our business today," said Kishore K, an auto driver.
Published 05 June 2024, 04:15 IST