Backroom manoeuvres take centre-stage

Warangal/ Mahabubabad: It's curtains for backroom manoeuvres with the all crucial last lap of campaigning coming to an end on Tuesday.

With just a day and a half remaining for the polling, it's time for the candidates of almost all political parties who made a last-ditch effort to woo voters in their constituencies, to do some computing with their poll managers and second rung leaders who play a crucial role in enticing the voters.

The campaigning for Lok Sabha constituencies – Warangal and Mahabubabad – may not be as fierce as that reflected in recent Assembly elections, but the political parties leave no stone unturned to make an impact in the April 11 polls.

Notwithstanding the head start it made in the electioneering, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) appears to be sceptical over the latest developments – the defeat it faced in the recent Council polls.

Although the TRS leaders claim that it's a one-sided contest and their goal is to improve the majority compared to what they got in the Assembly elections, back of the mind they have a little bit of doubt whether they would be able to carry the same momentum into Lok Sabha polls.

A peek into the numbers of 2018 Assembly elections suggests that TRS had a tremendous record. While the TRS, which clinched six of the seven Assembly segments in Warangal Lok Sabha constituency, had secured 6.71 lakh votes, the Congress that won Bhupalpally seat had only mustered 3.88 lakh votes. On the other hand, the BJP put up a pathetic performance by securing little above 38,000 votes together in seven Assembly segments.

Even though the Congress had won four of the seven Assembly segments in Mahabubabad Parliamentary constituency, the margin of votes is narrow as there was not much gap to differentiate between their votes.

While the Congress has managed to secure 4.99 lakh votes, the TRS also put up a brave performance by garnering 4.90 lakh votes in the predominantly Adivasi belt. The Congress faced a setback immediately after the Assembly elections with two of its MLAs Rega Kantha Rao (Pinapaka) and B Haripriya Naik (Yellandu) shifting loyalties to ruling TRS.

"Even though the leaders tried to intensify their campaign, understandably it's difficult for them to cover entire constituency. This is where second rung leaders come into picture. With election stats are readily available these days, it has become easy for the political parties to work on their weak pockets where they lacked voter patronage.

It's never too late to poach the second rung and booth level leaders who appease the voters to a maximum extent. They also play crucial role in the distribution of cash for vote," a senior Congress leader told The Hans India. Further, he added that this is where money takes driver's seat, leaving ideologies and ethics to air.

It's said that TRS MLAs are feeling the heat more than their party's Lok Sabha candidates. It may be mentioned here that TRS leadership has entrusted the responsibility of securing record majority, not less than five lakh in each Lok Sabha seat, with the MLAs.

"In a way, both the TRS candidates – Pasunuri Dayakar (Warangal) and Maloth Kavitha (Mahabubabad) – are sitting pretty with the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao entrusting the responsibility of ensuring win in both the constituencies - Warangal and Mahabubabad - with the Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao.

On the other hand, the ruling party legislators and senior leaders also have their task cut out especially a few of them expecting a place in the next expansion of KCR's Cabinet. A good performance here will certainly help them getting plum posts," a senior TRS leader said.