Hyderabad: Unlike earlier, it is the colonies and resident welfare associations (RWAs) that are wooing the netas, that is the candidates contesting from the Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in the city. Normally, it is the candidates who woo voters by offering them sops. But this time, the situation is different.
This is because the netas are not showing interest in visiting middle class colonies to seek votes. In fact a couple of them told RWA office bearers that educated voters pose too many questions, come up with a long wish-list but only a few actually vote.
“It’s a case of too many questions but very few votes. As a result politicians prefer to concentrate on slums where the polling percentage is high. Also, educated voters invite the contestants for interaction and throw questions which they know cannot be answered,” sources said.
United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations chairman V.B.J. Rao Chelikani said, “Yes, we admit that polling percentage in our colonies normally do not cross 30 per cent. This time we have taken special interest to ensure that all individuals are enrolled. We are promising the candidates that this time the percentage from our colonies would be over 70 per cent.
They have to take RWAs seriously,” he said. However, this does not mean that the contestants would be spared face to face interaction with residents. “It is a wrong notion that intellectual weight is thrown on politicians. In fact, it is nothing but the frustration of residents about the neglect by the administration and the problems faced by them like bad roads, overflowing drainage and traffic problems. The list of problems is long,” said Mr Chelikani.
Mr B.T. Srinivasan of Malkajgiri, the Executive Vice-President of RWAs said they have started giving letters to political parties for the inclusion of the “local manifesto prepared by RWAs” in the election manifesto. The manifesto being prepared by RWAs is based on local problems and differs from constituency to constituency.
“For example, five major issues have been identified in Malkajgiri and we want the parties to include this in their local manifesto. Important among the five issues are the acute drinking water problem, which is supplied once in 10 days to some of the colonies. Every day it is an agonising wait for lakhs at railway gates. We need bridges at these crossings. The army is closing roads as per its whims and fancies and we want out MLA and MP to take up the issue,” he said.
Ms Vinatha Munagala, a resident of Shantinagar, said this time they want their MLA and MP to be “strong” enough to act against land sharks encroaching parks. P. Ashwin Kumar of Shantinagar Club and Residents Welfare Assoc-iation said all footpaths in the area and the main road have been encroached. There is no place for pedestrians to walk. The office compound of poultry federation (now closed) have been turned into a fish market disturbing the local market. “We will ensure that polling from colonies crosses the 70 per cent mark and in return we want the candidates to solve the problems short listed by us,” he added.
