YSRCP takes it prestigious to win MLC elections

Anantapur-Puttaparthi: In the context of MLC elections slated for March 13 for 13 constituencies — eight local body constituencies, three graduates and two teachers constituencies — across the state, the ruling YSRCP considers the polls prestigious in nature, especially to convey the point that the popularity of the party is not on the wane.

The local bodies, 90 per cent of which are controlled by YSRCP, are politically obligated to ensure victory to the ruling party MLC candidates. In teachers' MLC elections, the general psyche of the government teachers is not to go against the government while the graduate voters are only ones who are politically independent.

The three graduate constituencies which are going for polls include Kadapa-Anantapur-Kurnool, Prakasam-Nellore-Chittoor and the Srikakulam-Vizianagaram-Visakhapatnam. Similarly, the two teachers constituencies are Kadapa-Anantapur-Kurnool and Prakasam-Nellore-Chittoor.

Local body MLC constituencies are six in coastal districts and two in Kadapa and Anantapur in Rayalaseema. The ruling party is confident of winning all the seats if not a majority of the seats. Although the elections are not supposed to be party-based, the fact remains that political parties are actively involved in fielding or owning the so-called independent candidates by announcing support for their candidatures.

The election of YSRCP candidates in the local body constituencies is a foregone conclusion as the voters are MPTCs and ZPTCs and 90 per cent of them are YSRCP loyalists. For example, 90 per cent of sarpanches in 1,000-odd panchayats owe their allegiance to the YCP.

Similarly, the YSRCP supported candidates are likely to win in teachers constituencies in the state as the government and YSRCP had involved state-level officials in the education department to consult teachers unions and the DEOs to ensure that teachers vote for only ruling party-supported candidates. Besides, the unions are also divided on party lines. Threats were also issued to teachers that if they do not toe the ruling party line, they would face hardships from the administration in future.

Anantapur rural sarpanch G Udhay told 'The Hans India' that fund starvation of panchayats is an issue faced by all sarpanches across the state. However, nearly 90 per cent of panchayats are under the control of YSRCP, he pointed out. Development and politics are two different aspects. Politics always take precedence over all issues. So there is no question of damaging the political prospects of our party, he said. "We are doing our best to ensure victory for the party in local bodies, teachers and graduate constituencies," he added.

The role of sarpanches is least in the urban-centric graduate constituencies. Anyway, the MLAs are taking care of graduate constituencies. They, of course, are pulling all strings to repeat the winning spree even in the MLC elections like in the past when the ruling YSRCP won all the local body elections decimating even the minimum presence of opposition parties.

Usually in graduate constituencies the voters being educated and every party enrols graduate voters, even opposition parties enjoy fair chances of winning if they take the election seriously. Here, too, the ruling party will always have an edge over others but there is always a chance of non-ruling party candidates turning victorious provided the candidates have a history of service to people like Dr M Geyanand, former MLC, supported by Progressive Democratic Front in the past.