The Bihar Assembly election results have generated much curiosity about the Warangal by-election not only among the people of Telangana, but also Andhra Pradesh and many other parts of the nation, who have links with Telangana. Bihar people have given a different verdict throwing all news channels’ and newspapers’ exit polls into the dust bin.
The Bihar people have given a clear majority to the Maha Kootami (Grand alliance) giving a shock to the ruling party at the Center BJP. The opposition parties, particularly the Congress in Telangana, are expecting similar trend in the Warangal by-elections. The Congress Party is exuding confidence saying that it will win the election with one lakh margin. But an unexpected and sad incident in the residence of Sircilla Rajaiah, the original official candidate of the Congress party, dazed the party. Awakening from the Rajaiah’s episode immediately, the Congress party gave its B-form to another former union Minister Sarvey Sathyanarayana.
The Left parties have announced their joint candidate much before the election notification and plunged into election campaign. Left parties candidate Prof. Gali Vinod Kumar had started his election campaign, criticizing the ruling TRS party stating that it failed on all fronts. YSRCP announced its candidate much later when compared with other political parties. The TDP-BJP combine announced its candidate after much discussion within their respective parties. The ruling TRS party was the first party to announce its candidate after the issue of election notification, and contended that the opposition parties have no candidates to field for the by-election.
Twenty one candidates were in the fray after the withdrawal of nominations. Though all the candidates have launched their campaign for the November 21 by-poll, the main contest appears to be between the ruling TRS and the main opposition party Congress. The Congress party has kept all its hopes on Warangal by-election to revive its lost sheen in the Telangana state and its leaders were vigorously participating in the campaign, though they were not united and having individual differences and opinions.
According to political analysts, the party has lost its bright prospects with the Rajaiah’s daughter-in-law Sarika and her three children’s death. The people were in a feeling that the party’s prospects could have been different if it reacted immediately after Sarika’s complaint with the party high command. The Warangal people were feeling that Sarika and her three children died just because of Rajaiah’s family. The Congress party has suspended Rajaiah from the party to overcome the damage caused to the party.
The ruling party has fielded a local candidate Pasunuri Dayakar as its candidate and criticizing the Congress party for fielding a non-local in the election. But, Survey Sathyanarayana was giving a fitting counter to the ruling party asking the latter whether the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who won earlier as an MP from Mahabubnagar, was a local there. He was also questioning the TRS party’s governance and the Chief Minister’s dictatorial attitude.
The Left party was a criticizing all political parties—TRS, Congress and TDP-BJP combine saying that all these parties did nothing to the people and appealing to them to ensure the victory of their candidate Prof. Vinod Kumar.
Educated Voters
According to political analysts, the election appears to be between the ruling party and opposition Congress party’s candidates Pasunuri Dayakar and Survey Sathyanarayana respectively. The analysts were predicting that more number of candidates in the fray might ensure the ruling party’s candidate victory easily. The Congress party was alleging that the YSRCP fielded its candidate, following a conspiracy, only to divide the votes to ensure the victory of the ruling party. This factor may work to some extent confusing the voters, but the Warangal voters were wise when compared with other areas because the city was the second biggest one in the State and the quite a large number of voters were well educated and they may not be influenced with the effective campaign or something.
The TDP-BJP duo was also exuding confidence that their candidate would win the election. They were in a strong feeling that their MLC candidate in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda stood in a second place and this time their candidate would win the election. They chose an NRI Dr Devaiah as their candidate.
Though the Congress was dazed with Rajaiah’s episode, it has got life with the defeat of the ruling BJP in Bihar. The Bihar result instilled full confidence among the Congress party leaders and cadre, who are hoping that the ruling party TRS would also meet with the same fate in Warangal by-election. Several leaders exuded confidence at the victory of their candidate Survey. Survey went one step ahead and stated that the government will fall within six months in case he wins the Warangal election, as the Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao was not happy with the selection of TRS candidate, leading to a revolt within the party.
Survey Sathyanarana was an experienced politician and a good orator when compared to his rivals in the Warangal by-election. Left Parties candidate Prof. Vindo Kumar too was a good orator but he has no election experience. Pasunuri Dayakar, the ruling party candidate, was totally depending upon the party leaders. The TRS party has involved all the Ministers in the election campaign. At several places, people were confronting the Ministers over the Government’s failures, and at one place a farmer has thrown a footwear at Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari. The TRS party may face embarrassing result in case the voters were influenced with those incidents. But the ruling party was alleging that the opposition parties were there behind such incidents.
The farmers and neutral voters would be the key factors in the Warangal election and the fate of political parties depended upon them. The recruitment process started by the TRS Government might influence the younger generation and this might help the ruling party to some extent. (NSS)