Politicians are not having it easy when they knock on doors seeking votes. No longer are netas greeted with smiles, even sheepish ones at that. They are being grilled and heckled, even gheraoed by voters for failing to deliver what they had promised.

At least two dozen incidents have been reported in the past 10 days where candidates – sitting ministers and opposition candidates – were at the receiving end for failing to provide basic amenities. “This is a new trend. Voters are doing in the open what they used to think privately or silently,” said Trilochan Sastry, founder-member of National Election Watch.

The reasons for voters’ anger are many. Labour minister Santosh Lad, who is recontesting from Kalghatagi in Dharwad district on a Congress ticket, got an earful from residents of Salinakoppa village on Wednesday night for bad roads and poor infrastructure in the region. Residents alleged that he had failed to set up a gym which he had promised in the last election, and shouted slogans against him. The minister had to make a quick exit.

In Narasimharaja constituency of Mysuru, primary education minister Tanveer Sait’s campaign came to a grinding halt when a Kannada activist, Paramesh, took him to task for failing to provide good roads in Raghavendranagar. Paramesh told the minister: “We have voted for your father and for you too. But why are the roads in the area not repaired? You don’t seem to care.” As a stumped Sait wondered what to do, his supporters pacified the activist, saying work would be done after the polls.