ZPTC or MPTC : Insecurity grips TDP after poll results

Anantapur: The Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) and the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) election results have once again demonstrated the political supremacy of the ruling YSRCP in the state and particularly in the district.

For the YSRCP, the continuous winning spree from panchayath to civic bodies to ZPTC/MPTC elections have proved their point that Jagan Mohan Reddy magic is not on the wane and on the other hand, they are trying to establish a fact that their welfare programmes are yielding results and that the opposition TDP propaganda is of no consequence that the people are fed up with the two-and-half-year-old government.

Local MLA Anantha Reddy told The Hans India that the TDP justification that that they boycotted the elections and hence the one sided result does not hold good as the elections were boycotted one-week after the nominations withdrawal date expired and it was construed by the electorate that the TDP was very much in the electoral fray and so on the same basis the electorate ignored the TDP and gave a one sided landslide victory to the YSRCP.

The YSRCP won 60 out of 63 ZPTC wards while the TDP and an independent got one each. Election to one ward was not conducted due to demise of a candidate in the middle of the election.

Similarly, the YSRCP won in 713 MPTC wards out of 781 wards while TDP got 49 wards and Congress and Jana Sena secured one each. Out of total 841 MPTC wards, 50 wards won unanimously. YSRCP 49 and TDP 1 and in 10 MPTC wards election was stalled due to demise of 10 candidates.

The local YSRCP leaders demanded the TDP to explain how they won in 49 MPTC wards and in one ZPTC ward if they really boycotted the election and if they were not in the election fray.

TDP leaders admitted that the popularity of YSRCP was intact even nearly 3 years after their rule. A fear psychosis prevails in the TDP camp on the fate of their 40-year-old party which once ruled the roost in the state particularly what is bothering the leaders is the equal influence they are weilding in urban and rural areas.

Usually urban educated voters would vote for the Opposition party two years after their rule but YSRCP winning 99 per cent of the civic bodies is really bothering them.

It is true that development is nil in the state during the three years and this aspect is bothering all parties and the intellectuals but for the general populace, welfare has taken precedence over development.

The TDP fears that if this is the way the electorate views, the NTR's party would unjustly fade into oblivion.