Khammam: The election costs of candidates in the gram panchayat elections in Khammam and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts are skyrocketing.
At one estimate, the expenditure of all candidates will be around Rs 500 crore after completion of the third phase election. The figure may be more but not less if one can see the elections of Dammapet and Mustibanda gram panchayat in Dammapet mandal.
There are 170 votes in the second ward of Mustibanda and candidates contesting in the ward distributed Rs 3,000 each to voters. The ward election cost itself touched over Rs 10 lakh.
Providing cheque power to the Upa sarpanch is the reason for the increasing election cost in the open category wards.
The election expenditure of candidates contesting for wards and sarpanch post in Dammapet gram panchayat is over Rs 1.5 crore. The election expenditure of Congress and TRS candidates of Nayakangudem has touched '60 lakh.
Interestingly, people in some villages are asking for only cash and in a few villages, seeking kind. The list in the kind is long, including liquor, mutton, chicken, fish and biryani.
At one estimate, about 5,000 sheep were slaughtered and Rs 10 lakh fish were purchased from Palair and Wyra reservoirs to distribute in these villages.
Adapa Lachaiah Dora, resident of Dammapet said, “We have never seen such expenditure of candidates in ward elections. Cheque power to the upa sarpanch is one of the reasons for this.”
Liquor lifting by wine dealers from Wyra depot has also increased over the last fifteen days and is above Rs 25 crore.
Money has accumulated with people impressively in villages due to increasing land prices, good crops, different government welfare schemes, payment of compensation under various projects such as mines, irrigation and road widening.
K. Rameswara Rao, a teacher in Khammam said, “These people want political power and have chosen gram panchayat elections to demonstrate their wish.”
