Election fever hit a crescendo as campaigning for the 2023 Telangana assembly elections entered the final leg before the end of electioneering on November 28. The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Indian National Congress have emerged front-runners in what is being predicted as a nail-biting battle. Colourful campaign vehicles, flags and buntings, blaring mikes dishing out folk songs — street corners are coming alive with a last-minute dash to reach voters both in cities and rural areas.
Polling is scheduled for Thursday, November 30, and the political landscape is marked by clear battle lines. The verdict is going to be significant not just for Telangana, but is expected to show how the south will vote in the parliamentary elections in early 2024.
The BRS, seeking a third term, relies on its track record of development and improved governance. However, it is facing anti-incumbency, and allegations of corruption and dynasty politics. The perceived failure of the Dharani (digitised land records) portal, particularly in supporting farmers, has become a big issue.
"There are a lot of issues with the portal. Many who are eligible have not received the promised double-bedroom houses, and many who are beneficiaries of the Dalit Bandhu scheme are allegedly forced to shell out commissions. Marginalised farmers are not benefiting from it," said Kiran Kumar Vissa, Convenor, Telangana Joint Action Committee (TPJAC), at a press conference last week.
The Dalit Bandhu scheme provides a grant of up to Rs 10 lakh to eligible SC families to start a business and become self-reliant
A group of civil society organisations and community collectives have come together under the TPJAC banner to work for the betterment of Telangana and educate voters, including about their constitutional rights.
"We have formed units of volunteers in about 20 districts. We found that local issues are in sharp focus. Unemployment is quite prevalent and the youth are struggling for jobs. There are a lot of vacancies in many colleges and schools, which need to be filled," said Vissa.
The revival of the Congress seems to have energised the party's rank and file, and it is fast gaining in popularity. Pinning their hopes on the social welfare schemes which it has offered as 'six guarantees,' top party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, are not missing a chance to remind voters how the party kept its promise and fulfilled the aspiration of a separate Telangana state.
The party sees the 2023 elections as an opportunity for its resurgence in the state, as it takes on the BRS from what seems to be a position of strength. Talking about the fast-changing trends at the press meet, L Sivakumar, one of the general secretaries of the party’s Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, said: "A few months ago, BRS was ahead by six percent in the predicted vote share, but that is gradually declining. Right now the Congress is four percent ahead."
"Telangana is very strategic because it’s the first step (in the south) towards the upcoming 2024 general elections. For the BJP, Telangana can be a gateway to the south and it is trying to get ahead with the support of the BRS. The BJP and the BRS are likely to have a tie-up in the parliamentary elections. That’s why the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan here, like in Karnataka, has come up with a civil society platform, to gain support in the elections," he added.
Many BJP heavyweights, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, have been wooing voters with regular meetings and roadshows, and are promising a backward class Chief Minister if the party is voted to power. While Modi addressed a substantial gathering of the Madigas (a backward community), voters are not oblivious of the fact that Bandi Sanjay Kumar, an OBC leader, was removed as the state party chief.
Thus, despite Modi's demonstration of support for the backward classes during the meeting, there seems to be a division in the OBC vote at the constituency level, with many leaning towards the Congress. Konda Ratna Raju, a Madiga from Ibrahimpatnam, said: "It is good that the PM has taken note of our issue. But at the local level, we can't waste our vote. We need to consider the local dynamics."
Despite its fading sheen, the BJP can mar the prospects of many a candidate. There are about 10 seats where the BJP had stood second in 2018. Here, it is likely to split the BRS vote bank, which may help the Congress. However, a couple of BJP candidates from the Reddy community may likewise eat into the Congress vote.
In Adilabad district, in both the Adilabad and Mudhole constituencies, the BJP had polled more than 40,000 votes in 2018. This was also the case in Kalwakurthy in the former Mahabubnagar district. These seats are evolving into crucial triangular contests.
With the Telugu Desam party not in the fray, the Congress is also set to gain the ‘settlers’ vote.’ “Most of us, who are originally from Andhra, used to support the TDP. But we are leaning towards the Congress as everyone wants change. There is a hidden anger against the ruling party,” said Tata Bhaskar, a retired librarian, who is settled in Hyderabad. “Also, the recent income tax raids on Congress leaders are seen as acts of the BJP and BRS,” he added.
There are 2,290 candidates in the fray for 119 assembly seats, and with elections just a couple of days away, candidates are trying their best to rope in the fence-sitters, in the hope of gaining a last-minute advantage.
In the run-up to the elections, the Election Commission of India (EC) has seized nearly Rs 690 crore worth of cash, liquor, and goods across the state, which is the highest among the five states going to the polls. Elections have already been held in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Mizoram. The results for all five states will be declared on December 3.
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