Freebies rain, liquor flows on last day of campaigning

1 kg chicken distributed in Anantapur

Parties went all guns blazing on the last day of campaigning for the municipal polls on Friday. The elections have turned out to be prestigious as all the parties view these as the ‘semi-finals’ to the showdown on April 30 and May 7. Braving the scorching heat, the candidates took up door-to-door campaigning trying to woo the voters.

It was raining freebies as well. Alcohol, money, nose studs, watches, pressure cookers, gas cylinders, etc., were given to the voters. In Anantapur, a party distributed one kg chicken to every household. Liquor flowed freely at all the places.

A tanker full of spirit, used to make cheap liquor, was seized in Dharmavaram.

The usual graffiti, banners and flexis were not seen because of the Election Commission (EC) restrictions and the candidates had to resort to the door-to-door campaigning. With the EC monitoring accounts of candidates and police asking for receipts for cash more than Rs 50,000, most candidates opted for e-cash transfer. Cash was transferred to minions of the leaders, who drew money from ATMs to distribute it to the voters.

In Seemandhra, the TDP and the YSRCP are taking the municipal elections seriously as they believe the polling pattern will help them to gauge the pulse of the voters and plan their strategies for the general elections.

In Telangana, TRS and Congress are looking at the polls to gauge the swing of ‘T’ sentiment. The polling pattern in the municipal elections will decide the course of action for all the parties.