Rajamahendravaram: Ruling party candidates busy distributing gifts in East Godavari

Rajamahendravaram : The YSRCP leaders, who have already been announced as candidates, have been campaigning non-stop in the constituencies for the past few weeks. While conducting campaign tours and holding gatherings, they have been distributing gifts to appease the voters from the other side.

There may be difficulties in the distribution of gifts after the election code comes into force. Hence, the YSRCP candidates have started distributing them in advance. As a result, valuable gifts are being received by various communities in the constituencies of Rajahmundry City, Rajahmundry Rural, Rajanagaram, Anaparthi, Kovvur and Gopalapuram constituencies.

Gifts are being distributed to DWCRA women, village and ward volunteers, Class IV employees and secretariat staff in various areas. Cricket kits, sports dresses, shoes and tracksuits are mainly reaching the youth.

Saris worth Rs 500 to Rs 2,000, Kits worth more than Rs 10,000 are being secretly distributed to voters of different categories. In the name of Sankranthi and Ugadi festival gifts, YSRCP leaders are also giving huge gifts worth thousands of rupees to some persons who can influence various sections.

The initiative and speed of the YSRCP leaders in the distribution of gifts is disconcerting the leaders of the TDP. However, a TDP leader pointed out that they do not want to buy public favour with gifts.

There are 9,300 volunteer posts in East Godavari district and 150 posts are lying vacant. Most of the volunteers are YSRCP fans.

They feel that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has given them employment and a respectable position. Some of them are supporters of Jana Sena and TDP. The opposition leaders have been criticising the ruling party for trying to use the volunteers as a private army for political purpose during the elections.

The leaders of the ruling party are coming up with innovative plans to woo the volunteers like organising dinners and providing gifts as they are facing financial problems due to a meagre salary of Rs 5,000 per month.

On the occasion, some volunteers recall that when they went on strike seeking hike in salaries, the YSRCP government threatened to remove them from their services. They point out that instead of increasing their salaries, the ruling party leaders were choosing to give them awards and gifts. Leaders of the ruling party conducted unauthorised surveys with volunteers in some areas. Especially caste-wise and party-wise voter information is being reportedly sought by them. A female volunteer from Rajamahendravaram told The Hans India that an MLA candidate instructed her to find out the information about which family is voting for which party in her working area.

Meanwhile, the cadre of the YSRCP are expressing anger that the leaders of the party were busy giving awards and gifts to the volunteers and not paying attention to the YSRCP workers who have been working for the party for 12 years in the same area.

They are reminding that it was the party workers who had brought the YSRCP to power in the 2019 elections and there was no volunteer system then. They feel that the hard work of the activists is not being duly recognised by the leaders.