Strategy, credibility key to success in elections

Elections to the Telangana State Assembly are due earlier than expected in view of dissolution of the House. Every political party is busily engaged in drafting its own strategy. While the party in power, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, is all set to contest on its own, without any alliance with any party, the opposition parties led by Congress are forming a united front in the name of Mahakootami (Grand Alliance).

All these parties that are diametrically differing with each other, are bonding with the one-point programme of defeating the TRS. For them its not people’s interest that matters but their own political interests. Political analysts and number of surveys, however, predict a landslide victory for TRS notwithstanding the presence of a Grand Alliance.

Political parties appeal to the voters with typical slogans in their manifestos. In earlier national or state elections, we heard slogans like ‘Garibee Hatao,’ ‘Two rupees kilo rice,’ ‘free power,’ ‘democracy or dictatorship?’ ‘stable government,’ ‘Total prohibition,’ etc., no matter whether they won them the election or not. After winning the polls and forming the government, the parties might or might not have fulfilled the promises made in manifestos. Convincing the voter with credibility of slogans is very crucial and important. This presupposes a political strategy.

Already for the forthcoming assembly elections, a couple of parties have announced in advance their exorbitant promises that would form part of manifesto. Absurd promises like “River Krishna and River Godavari will be dewatered and drained to construct houses for poor” are also being made by some parties. They promise to waive agriculture loans to a tune of Rs 2 lakh, as a onetime payment and in one go, unaware of the burden of thousands of crores involved in it. Such promises, without considering the possibility and feasibility shall be checked and disallowed by the Election Commission. Voters however are examining keenly the credibility of promises and assessing the capability of parties to fulfil the promises.

Whether it is an individual or an organisation or a political party or for any non-political activity, as long as it has an aim and objectives to achieve them, it requires a meticulous action plan which in scientific terms is known as strategy. For every political party, sometimes even unmindful of good or bad, strategically moving forward is a routine business. Even smallest mistake may lead to severe hardships.

Perhaps, as part of such hassled political strategy, in the name of Grand Alliance, an unethical and unprincipled combination of political parties is in the offing in Telangana on the eve of elections. Quite ahead of announcement of schedule, the Congress party, the TDP, the Jana Samithi and the CPI are joining hands against the ruling TRS. Probably, these parties and their leaders are ignorant that in elections one-plus-one is not two and they are wrong to conclude that the votes they polled in earlier elections, if combined, will make them victorious.

Earlier when all these so-called alliance partners, announced that they would contest all seats, leaders at the constituency level, in anticipation of a certainty of getting party tickets, have already begun their campaign. Now that the decision has been changed in favour of Grand Alliance, the fate of these aspirants is ambiguous. Most of them who are denied tickets due to the alliance may turn against their parties and become dissidents and may even campaign against alliance candidates. This would certainly harm the prospects of grand alliance significantly.

Aspirants of party ticket normally tend to seek ticket from other party by defecting if they are denied by their mother party. This is a normal practice in the case of any party, more so Congress. The recent developments in Congress are an example of this. Often rates are also fixed to give tickets, as is alleged by some senior leaders belonging to that party. Against this background, for the first time in the history of Indian elections, Chief Minister and TRS president KCR has announced party tickets to 105 persons, all but two sitting MLAs, far ahead of elections, and even before the schedule is announced. Making this announcement in a media meet is a new convention set by CM KCR.

He has subtly and also explicitly made it abundantly clear that there is little chance to the defectors from other parties to seek party ticket. He wants them to remain only as loyal party workers after they join. It may be apt if a rule akin to that of code of conduct is stipulated by Election Commission imposing restrictions on awarding tickets to those who defect just a couple of months before elections.

Ever since TRS won 2014 election and assumed power, the Chief Minister KCR by treating the election manifesto as a holy book and always keeping it by his side, conceived and implemented umpteen welfare and developmental programmes, giving equal priority to both and in the process benefiting all sections of people.

Name any scheme or project or programme, …be it the Mission Bhagiratha, Mission Kakatiya, the irrigation projects like Kaleshwaram, Palamoor, Sitarama, the Aasara pensions, the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak, employees salary hike, round-the-clock power supply without cuts, sheep distribution, Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bhima, KCR kits, basti clinics, Kanti Velugu and so on, the credit goes to TRS government.

Every bit of promise made in the manifesto has been taken care of and in addition 72 additional schemes that were not mentioned in the manifesto were also implemented. There are 60 schemes that are implemented only in Telangana and no where in the country. In a way the manifesto is implemented 172%. All this gained the credibility among people.

TRS, in its manifesto, hence, may certainly include only such promises as are implementable. Naturally when compared to other parties, the credibility of TRS is on the much-much higher side. It is only when a leader like TRS President KCR thinks differently, believes that he is different from others, dreams of bright future to the state, undertakes activities which none will be able to do, he is the real strategist. Hundred per cent success will be with such leaders only. Strategy coupled with credibility will be the key to success in poll.