Date:10/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/10/stories/2008071050300100.htm

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MLAs, MPs, Ministers on a survey spree

Ravi Reddy

Make a beeline for pollsters to assess winning chances in 2009 elections

HYDERABAD: Concerned about their political future, several MLAs, MPs and some Union Ministers from the State have hired pollsters to assess their prospects of winning from new constituencies created after delimitation.

Nearly half of the elected representatives will be forced to search for new seats as the face of 150 Assembly constituencies will change in the 2009 elections.

Among them, a dozen leaders, including Union Ministers Panabaka Lakshmi and Daggubati Purandeswari, have either commissioned agencies or sought the help of university students to conduct surveys.

Ms. Purandeswari is said to be eyeing Visakhapatnam and Ongole Lok Sabha seat as her Bapatla Lok Sabha constituency will be reserved for Scheduled Castes.

Similarly, Ms. Lakshmi, representing Nellore seat, has set her eyes on Tirupati, as three segments from Nellore Lok Sabha are set to merge in Tirupati.

Congress MPs J. D. Seelam (Rajya Sabha) and K.S. Rao (Eluru Lok Sabha) have commissioned separate surveys. While Mr. Seelam wants to contest Lok Sabha elections from Bapatla, Mr. Rao has opted for a survey since some new Assembly segments have been added to Eluru.

TDP leaders like Warangal MP Errabelli Dayakar Rao, V. Narender Reddy (Mahabubabad) and Devineni Umamaheswara Rao (Nandigama) have ordered surveys to study their chances from new constituencies. Consequent upon Hanamkonda LS becoming reserved, B. Vinod Kumar (TRS) favours new Bhupalpalli Assembly constituency.

P. Karthik Reddy, son of Mines and Geology Minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy, said he commissioned a survey to assess the winning chances if one of them contests from the new Chevella Lok Sabha constituency.

A Congress MLA from West Godavari said: “Some MLAs are going to lose their constituencies, while others are worried over the impact of the entry of film star Chiranjeevi into politics. It is a matter of Rs. 1.50 lakh to get near-factual picture of their prospects from these surveys.”

Delimitation

Inaganti Ravi Kumar of Indian Data Analysis Providers (IDAP), an organisation specialising in surveys said: “The delimitation of constituencies has forced many legislators to get their own surveys done to find new constituencies.”