Visakhapatnam: Candidates contesting local body polls vie with each another to serve people

Visakhapatnam: In the wake of lockdown, prospective candidates of the local body elections vie with one another, offering service to the needy in the form of distributing masks, vegetables and groceries.

Utilising the platform well, many candidates have also come forward to give away masks, sanitisers and homeopathy medicines and also consider measures to spray disinfectants in their respective wards.

The Andhra local body polls have been postponed by six weeks as a preventive measure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. According to the State Election Commissioner, the fresh dates for the civic polls in the State will be decided after the situation returns to normalcy.

Though some of the candidates have commenced campaigning after filing nominations ahead of the postponement of the elections, there is an element of uncertainty as to when the election process begins, given the current situation in the State.

At the same time, contestants who have filed nominations consider the lockdown an opportunity to serve the people in their respective wards and villages. Earlier, they felt little disappointed as there was hardly any time left from the date of nomination to polling. However, it is a different scenario now.

In order to make their presence felt, candidates are not only giving away vegetables and essential commodities to the needy but also creating awareness to contain the spread of the pandemic. Similarly, care has been taken to supply food packets to the daily wage earners.

This apart, the focus is also on spraying disinfectants in slum areas, underlining the importance of maintaining social distancing at Rythu Bazaars and ration depots and supplying commodities to the beneficiaries. YSRCP ticket aspirant from the 52 ward G Sridhar says, "Food parcels are being supplied to daily wage earners as they don't have work due to lockdown. In the mornings, we take up sanitising exercise in slum areas. In addition to this, we also ensure that the beneficiaries maintain social distance when they turn up to pick their groceries at the fair price shops."

Speaking to The Hans India, L Koteswara Rao, a TDP candidate, mentions that awareness drive on the measures to contain the pandemic has been intensified. "Leading by example, we lay emphasis on social distancing and maintaining hand-hygiene measures. In the process, we also distributed hundreds of masks and sanitisers to the locals," he adds.

Amid the postponement of the local body elections followed by the 21-day lockdown, the candidates are making sure that the basic needs of the poor have been catered to irrespective of the cost it involves.