Panchayat Polls in AP: A Litmus Test To Political Parties

By Ramesh Reddy / Hyderabad

The panchayat elections are not party-based but they sure will indicate which way the winds are blowing ahead of next year's general elections. Four crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise and hence, this is going to be a litmus test for political parties in the State.

The Congress has reignited the Telangana fever with a public meeting at the Nizam College Grounds the other day and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy unveiled a massive job fair, including 28,000 teacher posts, besides filling up key nominated posts to keep rural voters as well as party cadres happy.
In a rush to set things straight, he also reshuffled IAS and IPS officers.

The TDP is relying on its chief N Chandrababu Naidu's district tours to bolster its chances while the YSRC honourary president YS Vijayamma held a seminar on panchayat raj in Warangal to gear up party workers for the polls. The TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao too is busy holding party meetings.

Congress which has been at the receiving end all the time on the Telangana issue, suddenly sent chills down the spines of all the leaders.  TRS was the first to be shocked when the AICC state affairs incharge Digvijay Singh said a decision on Telangana was in a final stage. 

As some doctors keep the ailments of rich patients in tact, so that they would be a perennial source of income, TRS wants the problem to remain, so that it could strengthen itself and gain more seats. If it is solved, TRS would be out of business. The party is now straining its nerves, thinking of what to tell the people in the Panchayat elections. Both TDP and YSR Congress leaders are maintaining stoic silence, not knowing how to react. TDP chief Chandra Babu Naidu is learnt to have instructed his party leaders from both the Telangana and Andhra regions not to react to the Congress “trick”. 

He is afraid that a comment one way or the other would be against the party’s interests before the elections and in the long run. YSR Congress honorary president Vijayamma and others are also equally taken aback. Excepting some Rayalaseema leaders like Shobha Nagi Reddy, others are not making any comments. It is learnt that Chandra Babu Naidu has been telling his colleagues that this was all part of Congress party’s strategy. The YSR Congress has chosen silence as the best strategy. Vijayamma has simply been telling the people that her party was not against Telangana. 

It does not also mean that the party was for Telangana. It is keeping its options on Telangana open, as any outright support to Telangana would mean loss of support in the Seemandhra region. It is learnt that the strategists of the party like Mysoora Reddy advised party leaders not to respond even to the provocative remarks of Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal and minister T G Venkatesh who blamed Jagan for the present ‘T’ crisis.