While experts have no doubts that large amounts of money changed hands this time as well, the results of the state Assembly elections suggest that political parties and candidates failed to sway voters with offers of cash or any other method of persuasion.

This is thought to be one of the main reasons behind the unexpected results in constituencies such as Shivajinagar, Cantonment and even Kothrud, where prominent candidates lost the elections by huge margins despite their considerable money and muscle power.

According to election analyses by political parties and several other social organisations, political parties distributed cash in slums and other parts of the city, but many voters did not vote for those parties.

‘Positive change’
Vikrant Bhilare, a political worker with a strong network in slums within Cantonment, said, “It is for sure that at least a couple of candidates in the constituency had distributed huge amounts of money on the eve of elections, and even on election day. Fortunately, it did not convert into results.”