Battle lines drawn for MLC polls

Visakhapatnam: Unlike earlier, major political parties consider winning MLC elections as the most prestigious achievement. Therefore, the fight is not about competing or giving a tough fight to one another but 'winning' at any cost. In the ensuing MLC elections scheduled on March 13, the battle among the ruling party, TDP, BJP and PDF (Progressive Democratic Front) is expected to reach a crescendo.

On a par with general elections, the parties are pulling out all stops to carry out intensive campaigns for the party's candidate. Involving students, teachers, government employees and community leaders, the parties are reining the campaign chariots to reach out to masses through roadshows, rallies and sabhas. Dividing the vote share are the independent contenders who consider campaigning as an effective tool to draw public support.

This time, 37 candidates are going to vie in the battle field. Apart from four major parties, the rest falls in the bracket of independent candidates. A majority of them play an active role in encouraging students' communities, unions, advocates, entrepreneurs and those involved in social service. Apparently, the independent contenders not only nurture a strong network but also possess the charisma to draw the attention of the voters. With this, there is a larger scope for them to add a big chunk of votes into their account.

Following which, the major parties have now intensified their campaigning to draw the attention of the voters. Those contesting from non-political background feel that they would be setting a new trend. "Apparently, youth will get encouraged to foray into politics. Since I come from a non-political background and have a complete picture of the challenges faced by teachers, there is a higher possibility to voice out their woes in the legislative council if elected," opines Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao, Graduate MLC contender.

Sharing his views, Hemantha Kumar Samayam, independent MLC candidate, says, "No candidate paid attention to resolving unemployment problem till now. In North Andhra alone, there are 18 lakh unemployed persons. We intend to voice out their challenges and work towards addressing their issues. This will be one of the main reasons why people would elect us." With 37 candidates in the fray, the battle is going to be tough among the contenders this time.