Aspirants not sure of win despite huge spending
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Hyderabad: Aspirants for GHMC elections are gearing up, but the expenses involved is sending a chill down their spine. While the State Election Commission rules stipulate a maximum expenditure of Rs 2 lakh per candidate in GHMC ward (renamed division) unless revised, leaders of various political parties assert its peanuts.
According to conservative estimates, a candidate from a major political party or a strong independent may have to shell out between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 1 crore for a good fight. Yet victory is not guaranteed. GHMC polls are slated to be held either in January or February 2016. “GHMC elections will be very expensive like any other election. It will be a reflection of the Assembly polls. It is inevitable if you want to contest,” Raj Kumar, former Deputy Mayor from the Congress told this newspaper.
Asked about the likely expenditure for a candidate, he said it would depend on the candidate’s standing in the area, party and division that he is contesting. “If the candidate is popular, he or she will have a smooth ride but cannot escape totally from the expenses. A fresher has to spend more,” he said.
The TRS government increased the number of divisions from 150 in 2009 GHMC elections to 200 now. A MIM leader said a son of a sitting MLA from Ranga Reddy district who contested the GHMC polls in 2009 in the old city spent over a crore but lost.
“Money is no passport to victory. Some voters take money from all candidates but ultimately they have only one vote and vote for only one candidate. Candidates get fooled. We limit expenses and win on party credibility,” he said. Unlike in the Assembly, GHMC division is small and expenses are mostly on hiring campaigners, posters, banners but the bulk goes in distribution of money.
“For example, you hire 100 people including women for campaign per day for 20 days before polls. It costs you Rs 300 per head i.e. Rs 200 per head as wages plus Rs 100 for food on an average. It comes to Rs 30,000 per day and a total of Rs 6 lakh. Banners, posters, vehicles etc are other expenses. But the bulk of the money goes in cash distribution ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 500 per head. Even if you distribute Rs 200 each for 10,000 people, it costs you Rs 20 lakh,” a ticket aspirant explained.
BJP MLC N. Ramachander Rao too rues the expenses but says it can’t be helped. “All eyes are on GHMC polls now. Our party is gearing up for the polls. Everyone spends but they do not tell the truth, he asserts.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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