In private, parties say Supreme Court verdict doesn't work

Hyderabad: While publicly welcoming the Supreme Court verdict on election campaigning, leaders of all major and smaller political parties said in private that the ruling will not have much impact on their poll campaigns.

While the leaders insist that the SC verdict paves the way to fair and free polls and it would be adhered to by every political party which believes in secularism, it is common knowledge that political parties seldom open appeal for votes in the name of caste or religion.

Instead, all political parties including the Congress, BJP, Telugu Desam, TRS and YSR Congress, are very selective in fielding candidates belonging to a particular caste or religion from constituencies that have a predominant voter strength of that community in that particular region.

It is a known fact that there are many constituencies which are informally reserved for candidates of a particular caste or religion. As such there is no need for any political party to open seek votes based on the caste of the candidate.

In Rayalaseema and certain pockets in TS, the Reddy community is predominant, while the Kapus and Kammas hold sway in coastal Andhra and Velama community is strong in Karimnagar, Medak, Adilabad and Warangal districts of TS. In some pockets, Muslims form the predominant voter base.

Senior advocate P. Veer Reddy said that the Model Code of Conduct and provisions of the Representation of Peoples Act come into play when a political leader appeals for votes in the name of caste, creed, region or religion, but as long as there is internal lobbying for support, it would not constitute an electoral malpractice.

Mr Veera Reddy said that the verdict will ensure that politicians will be very careful what they utter in all future elections. He said that the Election Commission would have to take the SC verdict in the right spirit and issue guidelines to all political parties and candidates in this regard.

Asaduddin Owaisi, MIM
The Supreme Court verdict has opened a Pandora’s Box. The MIM believes in pluralistic democracy and strives to protect the secular fabric of the country. Our party has never sought votes on the basis of religion and it always has had support of the people of all religions. particularly Dalits and minorities.

The Supreme Court could have clearly defined what is Hindutva through the verdict. Hindutva is totally different from Hinduism. Jawaharlal Nehru had said that majority communalism was the biggest threat to the country.

G. Kishan Reddy, BJP
The party has never asked voters to cast their vote in the name of caste, region or religion, it believes in nationality and principles of the Constitution. Every political party which believes in the Constitution and democracy has to abide by the apex court’s order.

Amjedullah Khan, MBT
I welcome the verdict but I fear it cannot be implemented in letter and spirit.

Mohd. Ali Shabbir, Congress
The judgement will surely help in strengthening the secular fabric. The Congress never encourages caste- or religion-based politics as it has unflinching trust on the Constitution and its principles and secularism. Some of the Chief Ministers have recently allowed religious practices even in state offices. This was in contravention of the Constitution which says that the State has no religion.