Parties shift gears after high octane campaign ends in JH

Hyderabad: The high-octane campaign for the by-election to the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency ended on Sunday. The next two days (polling is scheduled for Tuesday) will see the political parties shifting gears while going overboard to lure the voters with money power.

All three contenders with an eye on the pie-the ruling Congress, BRS and BJP, campaigned extensively to clinch the issue in their favour on November 11. While Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy spearheaded the Congress campaign, working president K T Rama Rao took the BRS onus on his shoulders and organised a series of roadshows, whereas the BJP campaign was led by Union Minister G Kishan Reddy for whom the battle is more crucial as the Assembly segment forms part of Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency that he currently represents.

Incidentally, senior leaders of all three parties were in a campaign overdrive till 5 pm, the closing time for campaigning.

This included the likes of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers Jupally Krishna Rao, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Konda Surekha, Ponnam Prabhakar and V Srihari, PCC chief B Mahesh Kumar for the Congress. It was likewise with KTR and his MLAs and MLCs, while the BJP fielded 51 leaders to woo voters.

With the campaign phase done and dusted, the priority of the parties is to bring the voters to the polling booths on the election day. Towards this, they have made travel and food arrangements to ensure that the voters will be on touch with their respective booth in-charges. Meanwhile, the parties are eyeing women voters, especially the self-help groups (SHGs), whose leaders, not ironically, collect money and execute the plans of the party, said a senior leader.

According to sources, each group collects anything between Rs 30,000 and Rs one lakh, which is subsequently distributed among the group members, who are voters. A source pointed out that the quantum of money that is distributed will influence the eventual outcome; it can make or break prospects of the contestants.

Meanwhile, the major political parties have appointed in-charges for every 50 voters in a locality. According to party leaders, expectations of the voters have hit a new high given the battle royale for the coveted seat and its sweepstakes.

For Kishan Reddy, the battle is more crucial as the Assembly segment forms part of Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency that he currently represents.

Incidentally, senior leaders of all three parties were in a campaign overdrive till 5 pm, the closing time for campaigning.

This included the likes of Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers Jupally Krishna Rao, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Konda Surekha, Ponnam Prabhakar and V Srihari, PCC chief B Mahesh Kumar for the Congress. It was likewise with KTR and his MLAs and MLCs, while the BJP fielded 51 leaders to woo voters.

With the campaign phase done and dusted, the priority of the parties is to bring the voters to the polling booths on election day. Towards this, they have made travel and food arrangements to ensure that the voters will be their respective booth in-charges. Meanwhile, the parties are eyeing women voters, especially the self-help groups (SHGs), whose leaders, not ironically, collect money and execute the plans of the party, said a senior leader.

According to sources, each group collects anything between Rs 30,000 and Rs one lakh, which is subsequently distributed among the group members, who are voters. A source pointed out that the quantum of money that is distributed will influence the eventual outcome; it can make or break prospects of the contestants.

Meanwhile, the major political parties have appointed in-charges for every 50 voters in a locality. According to party leaders, expectations of the voters have hit a new high given the battle royale for the coveted seat and its sweepstakes.