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SCB polls get political colour
With just five days left for the elections to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB), political parties have intensified their campaign to the eight-ward body, which is touted as a “semi-final” for the ensuing Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls.
Hyderabad: With just five days left for the elections to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB), political parties have intensified their campaign to the eight-ward body, which is touted as a “semi-final” for the ensuing Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls.
The SCB election, which technically has to be held on non-party basis, is forcing candidates to come out with creative ideas. Besides promising to provide basic facilities, a few of the candidates are flaunting their political affiliations by making their campaign posters in political colours! Some of the candidates have “painted the cantonment with pink” obviously revealing the candidates political leaning to TRS party.Political affiliations in elections which are contested on non-party basis came to fore when some of the contestants are making promises.
A two-bedroom flat, food security cards and jobs for all refer to the ruling party manifesto. Senior party leaders have been roped in for the election campaign where 174 candidates are contesting for the eight SCB wards. Since the Secunderabad (cantonment) Assembly constituency was won by the TDP in 2014 election, the party is making all-out efforts to clinch victory in majority of the wards in this segment. Senior TDP leader and MLA G Sayanna has been entrusted with the responsibility for the victory of the party supported candidates.
The TDP partner BJP also engaged party leaders NVSS Prabhakar, C Raja Singh and C Ramachandra Reddy in the combined poll campaign. Secunderabad MP and Union Minister of State for Labour B Dattatraya would give a finishing touch to the campaign in the last two days.
TRS senior leaders and ministers - T Harish Rao, T Srinivas Yadav and Jogu Ramanna are taking part actively in the poll campaign. Party leaders said that the election would be a litmus test for the TRS before the GHMC election. To lure Christian voters who comprise more than 30 per cent in the wards, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has announced the establishment of Christian Bhavan.
From Congress, former Union minister Sarve Satyanarayana shouldered the responsibility to ensure victory to party candidates. Congress senior leader P Shankar Rao, who lost 2014 election from the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly, stayed away from the campaign. The MIM has, reportedly, started making its moves and wants to test waters by fielding candidates in some reserved wards.
However, it is not clear if electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be used for the polls. The voting would take place at 182 poll stations. Though the SCB has eight wards with a population of more than 3 lakhs, the registered number of voters was only 1.58 lakh. According to the officials, Wards I, II, V and VI are general while III, IV and VII reserved for women. Ward VIII has been reserved for SCs.
