Badvel byelection: Caste factor likely to play key role

By M.V. Subramanyam

CUDDAPAH, FEB. 17. Polarisation of the electorate on caste lines is likely to play a predominant role in the byelection to the Badvel Assembly constituency in Cuddapah district, where the Congress and Telugu Desam Party are locked in a keen contest.

The division of voters on caste lines is quite apparent and that was the reason for the political parties deputing Ministers, MLAs and leaders to hold discussions with leaders of various caste- based associations in the segment. The Reddy community is the majority in the segment with their strength being almost 30 per cent, followed by Muslims and Dalits, who constitute 20 per cent each, Balijas 12 per cent and Yadavas 10 per cent.

While the Reddy community is said to be mostly in favour of the TDP candidate, Mrs. Kondreddy Vijayamma, the ruling party could make some dent into the minority community, which was earlier considered to be mostly pro-Congress. The Balija and Yadava communities have been sailing with the Congress, despite efforts of various leaders belonging to these castes. The TDP mainly deployed Ministers and MLAs, on a caste-based priority, in order to persuade the voters belonging to their castes, at meetings organised by various caste-based organisations. The Congress made considerable efforts on these lines.

The Congress candidate, Dr. Vaddemanu Sivaramakrishna Rao, who had served as Badvel MLA twice earlier, had been the political opponent of the late Minister for Marketing, Bijivemula Veera Reddy, in the constituency right from the 1970s. He is now facing a new entrant to politics - Mrs. K. Vijayamma, the daughter of Veera Reddy, the first woman candidate of the segment, who was fielded hoping to cash in on the sympathy on Veera Reddy's death. Quite surprisingly, the expected sympathy wave is lacking in the constituency, although Mrs. Vijayamma seems to be gaining support from the womenfolk to some extent. Rather than a general sympathy wave, certain vindictive actions allegedly resorted to by Veera Reddy and his followers are showing their impact in several places. TDP leaders had faced an irksome situation, during their campaign, when people of some non-Reddy communities cited instances of vindictiveness against them in the past and curtly refused to oblige the ruling party.

On the other hand, despite being well-known to the electorate of the constituency, there is no sympathy for Dr. Sivaramakrishna Rao among the voters, who nurture a grouse that he has been quite inaccessible, irrespective of the electoral prospects. Dr. Rao has sought votes stating that he had served them for two terms in the past and would have to retire from politics if he failed to win now.

The campaign by the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, Ministers, MLAs and TDP leaders was mainly centered around developmental activities undertaken by the State Government and promises to complete the Telugu Ganga project, which would irrigate over a lakh acres in the constituency and assurances to pay compensation expeditiously for the submersible villages under the Somasila reservoir, an issue that has been pending for several years. They also derided Congress leaders, particularly Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy, groupism in the Congress and factionalism.

The Opposition leader, Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the APCC president, Mr. M. Satyanarayana Rao, former Ministers, MLAs and Congress leaders emphasised upon the `anti-people and anti- farmer' policies of the Government, hike in power tariff, lack of remunerative prices for agricultural produce and `failure' to fulfil electoral promises in the past. The Congress leaders also laid stress on misuse of power, violation of the code of conduct and alleged partisan attitude of the official machinery.

The deployment of scores of leaders of various levels in Badvel constituency by both the TDP and Congress for a fortnight showed that both parties have been considering the byelection as prestigious. Leaders of both the parties have also been concentrating on plans to outbeat each other and check rigging in the strong pockets of the other party.

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Section  : Southern States
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