Leaders try to woo voters on development, experience, corruption and credibility
TDP chief, N Chandrababu Naidu
Hyderabad: As election campaigning for the Seemandhra region hots up before it concludes on May 5, the picture that is emerging is that the contest is between just two key players, the Telugu Desam and the YSR Congress.
Polling trends in Telangana had indicated that the fight was between the Congress and the TRS, with the TD-BJP impacting just a few segments.
But in Seemandhra the Congress candidates are in a very poor position in a majority of segments, since the party is credited with carving out a separate state.
Other parties, including the Jai Samaikyandhra Party floated by former chief minister N. Kiran Kumar, have only a nominal presence.
Like it was pro-YSR or anti-YSR in all elections that were held in Kadapa district for the last three decades, it is a case of pro or anti-Jagan Mohan Reddy in Seemandhra.
Just as the “Telangana sentiment” played a key role in the April 30 elections held in 119 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha segments in Telangana, so it seems like the future development of the residuary state of AP is the main issue in the May 7 elections in 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha segments in Seemandhra.
YSR Congress chief Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy has been telling voters that he has a better knowledge and understanding of development issues than Mr Naidu, while the latter claims he alone has the vision to build new cities, citing the Cyberabad area development in Hyderabad City when he was the Chief Minister.
He has also been reminding voters of Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s pending corruption cases and says Mr Reddy is too inexperienced to talk about development. Both Mr Naidu and his son Mr Lokesh Naidu have been asking people if they want a leader with vision or a leader facing corruption cases.
Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy of course has taken the line during his whirlwind campaign that he was falsely implicated in cases and is not involved in any scam. His sister and the YSRC’s star campaigner, Sharmila, makes it a point to mention in all her speeches that the BJP, after creating three new states from existing ones, did not develop them and did not create even one international airport in any of them.
Both parties claim they have the upper hand.
TD leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu says, “It looks like the fight is now confined to two parties and two leaders. I am confident people are going to prefer Chandrababu Naidu as a tested and trusted leader.”
While YSRC’s Vasireddy Padma says, “People have come to the conclusion that they must support Jagan and his policies on new development, whereas Chandrababu is making false claims about development during his chief ministership. People want a credible leader to lead the new state and not one who has proved himself a non-performer.”
( Source : dc )
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