HYDERABAD: Assuming that polarisation of votes will take place on caste lines in the coming elections, the Praja Rajyam Party is planning some experiments to take advantage of the situation. It wants to field candidates from communities which are not dominant in particular constituencies.
Rather than selecting candidates from the same caste as that of the rivals, the PRP wants to field other caste candidates so that vote polarisation can take place. It will experiment the strategy in segments where other parties may field candidates from upper castes. The party has identified about 70 such constituencies, mostly in coastal districts.
It wants to field more BC, SC and minority candidates than other parties.
The party leaders hope that such experiments will help the PRP kill two birds in one shot. By giving the maximum number of tickets to the BC, SC and minority sections it can not only show adherence to its social justice concept but also improve its winning prospects in certain pockets by forcing vote polarisation.
Elaborating the strategy, a party leader says if the ticket is given to a BC sub-caste which has second or third largest presence in a constituency the chances of winning the seat with the help of Kapu community, who are longing to see party president Chiranjeevi as the next chief minister, will improve drastically. For instance, in Tuni constituency Yadavas are the second largest community after Kapus. The combined votes of the two communities can ensure victory to the PRP.
Likewise, in coastal districts the Koppula Velama, Setti Balija, Padmasali and fishermen sub-castes have either second or third largest presence in many segments. If the party fields candidates from these communities, the chances of winning seats with Kapu support will brighten, he adds. The party wants to employ the same strategy in the segments where the SC and minority voters are more.
On the other hand, the party also wants to apply its social justice principle in allotment of tickets among upper castes also by giving preference to communities like the Vysyas. It wants to make it a campaign issue too.