Poll schedule sparks debate on parties electoral fortunes

♦ Widespread feeling winning Cong candidates will eventually join BRS

♦ BJP has a feel-good factor about policies in districts; but lacks a strong cadre and candidates

♦ Both Cong, BJP fail to take note of 3:2 voting arithmetic working in favour of BRS

Hyderabad: The Election Commission’s announcement of the State Assembly election schedule has triggered debate on political fortunes of different parties among the young and unemployed.

Sharing their views on the prevailing scenario in their respective places, Sandeep from Kamareddy told The Hans India, “There are several of us who have come to Hyderabad and staying here to prepare for competitive examinations. We know what the State government doing and not doing, delivered on its promises and failed to deliver; including, filling government jobs. But reality in our place is different,” he adds.

Kiran, another unemployed graduate, seconds his friend. He says “ BRS chief and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is a tough nut to crack. Both the Congress and BJP don’t get their arithmetic right,” he points out.

When asked, Sandeep explains that he has five members in his family---father and mother, grand-mother and brother. “Even if I prefer some other party than the BRS, the three at home prefer the pink brigade. The reason, we have land in the name of my grandmother, father and mother. They get ‘RythuBandhu’. Besides, they get old-age pensions. They don’t bother about politics and performance of the government.”

He concludes that the 3:2 logic in a family of five in villages and districts has been working in favour of the BRS.

Kiran points out that KCR mastered the policy of “kushrahna”; despite the unemployed and young going against it, "where there are more number of elders and owning agricultural land, the 3:2 math is tilting votes in a family in favour of the ruling party. The Congress, BJP, and any other party find it tough to crack this. The popular view is that parents and grandparents are influenced by their children to vote for the party. "But, in the case of most unemployed and younger people, it is the elders who prevail over them that gives additional political dividends to the party, he noted.

C Niranjan, another graduate, points out that the Congress has a strong cadre in many places with their leaders. But, there is a widespread feeling among people cutting across the age groups that even if they get elected, they eventually will join the BRS. "Wherever there is a strong leader, they reaped political fortunes. "It is too early to gaze how it will make an independent impression among people," he says.

In case of the BJP, they see the saffron brigade has more edge among urban people. Its policies are good, and there is a feel-good factor about it in districts. For example, its cadre is still in formative stages and is not strong in Kamareddy-like districts. It has got candidates advantage, adding to the feel-good factor in places like Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Secunderabad, points Sai Sudheer K from Karimnagar.