Caste, cash is not the deciding factor in Andhra Pradesh politics: survey

Hyderabad: Does caste and cash determine the prospects of a candidate in the elections? Both play a role, but it is not always the deciding factor.

In Seemandhra, candidates of major parties have distributed cash and liquor liberally to voters. Cash rich businessmen, contractors and other well-heeled candidates are doling out between Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 to each voter.

While caste, cash and liquor may help a candidate win, one recent survey suggests that the order of priority of a voter is party, candidate, caste, cash and liquor. So, while the latter three help, they have to be taken in conjunction with the party and candidate.

A recent example was the parliamentary by-election in Kadapa. The then ruling Congress and main Opposition TD had spent more money than the YSRC, but it was YSRC’s Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy who won with a margin of 5,43,053 votes. The TD and Congress candidates lost their deposits.

In the present elections in Seemandhra, candidates from main political parties are spending crores of rupees although they know that only money will not help them to get elected.

In south coastal Andhra districts, caste politics will dominate and in Rayalaseema, in addition to caste, faction politics will dominate.
Senior Congress leader and MLC from East Godavari district R. Padma Raju says caste and cash will help only to some extent. In one Lok Sabha constituency two candidates belonging to the big parties are spending around Rs 100 crore, but only one candidate will win, which means that distributing money will not help one candidate.

“People will take money from all parties but they vote for the candidate of their choice,” said one political leader. The distribution of money is really for self satisfaction, commented one candidate who is in the fray.

According to political observers, people decide first to vote for a party and then they see the candidate. If the candidate of that party is acceptable, they vote for him. In this case, cash will play a small role.

The influence of local leaders will also have some impact. Congress leader Padma Raju said that most people decide in advance which party they will vote for and only a small section of people change that decision at the last minute.