Battle for Baldia: Poll fever hits a crescendo

Hyderabad: With just six days to go for the GHMC elections, the campaign is taking new turns and the pitch of rhetoric is reaching a crescendo.

While the ruling TRS is making all-out efforts to see that the BJP does not succeed in occupying the political space following the poor performance of the Congress in the last six years, the BJP seems to have worked out a strategy to see that they occupy the centre-stage and all parties keep talking about them during the GHMC election campaign.

The sensational comment by state BJP president Bandi Sanjay that they would go in for a surgical strike in the Old City after coming to power in GHMC elections stirred a huge controversy.

This has led to strong reaction from all parties and in fact the entire campaign by TRS and AIMIM on Tuesday centred around it. TRS working president K T Rama Rao reacted saying "BJP has no shame, no dimagh. Isn't the Old City part of Hyderabad? That is why TRS has always been saying that if you vote for such a party there would be anarchy".

KTR said the very fact that Delhi leaders like Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Smriti Irani, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP national president J P Nadda would be coming to campaign for "Galli" elections shows that BJP has accepted defeat.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi challenged the Centre to come out with a list of Pakistanis in the Old City within 24 hours. He said BJP had nothing to showcase and hence was making such "senseless" comments. If BJP has guts it should go in for a surgical strike on China which had occupied 970 sq km of Indian territory.

He also asked BJP to show 1,000 Rohingyas in the electoral list. It was making baseless comments that there are 30,000-40,000 Rohingyas in the electoral rolls.

If that were so what was Amit Shah doing, sleeping? Owaisi questioned.

A reality check made by The Hans India indicates that though all political parties want to confuse the voters with their claims, allegations and counter allegations, they seem to understand the real intentions behind the different statements being made by the political leaders. They do not fear that the peace in Hyderabad would be disturbed as is being stated by TRS leaders.

Voters are clear in their minds that the TRS government had succeeded in solving the problem of power and water supply. But the main grouse they have is regarding the bad roads and poor drainage system which leads to floods during monsoon season. At the same time, there seems to be an undercurrent of anti-incumbency. They feel that the TRS would be back in power in Baldia but feel that the journey would not be as smooth as it was last time.