Adilabad: The hot summer has been a fun time for candidates who were declared elected in the local body elections as far back as May. These candidates had been housed in “camps” in destinations like Goa and Araku by their parties so as to prevent their poaching by rivals. In towns and districts where the margin is narrow, a few votes could tilt the balance either way in electing municipal, mandal and zilla parshad chairpersons.
The results were declared on May 12 and 13. The notification has still not been issued and the chairperson elections appear to be some time away. It is learnt that the candidates have been put up in air-conditioned hotel rooms. Taking advantage of the situation, some candidates have called their children and spouses to join them. The parties are ensuring that no demand goes unmet.
A Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader who is looking after camp arrangements for members of the mandal parishad territorial committees, said, “MPTCs have never felt the soaring temperatures for the last one month as they stayed in AC rooms.”
He said AC vehicles had been engaged for the candidates whenever they feel like going out, and when they are shifted from one secret location to another. “There are many mandal president aspirants who have shifted MPTCs for camps by borrowing money,” a leader said.
“The case is same with the aspirants of the municipal chairman post.” In some cases, MLAs were also pitching in. An MPTC from Talamadugu in Adilabad district told this correspondent from his camp that he had not quite felt the intensity of the summer this year.
