SRIKAKULAM/VIZIANAGARAM: On the eve of counting of votes of the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, punters have bet big in North Coastal Andhra on the outcome. Huge bets are placed on the party that forms the government in the State, number of seats to be bagged by the ruling YSRC and the TDP-led NDA, winning chances of prominent leaders and their majority, election results of key seats and others.
According to intelligence sources, betting rings have started offering fancy rates after the release of exit polls. For the first time, huge bets are placed on the winning chances of both the ruling and opposition parties in Uttarandhra, anticipating that it will be a tought fight. Hence, the counting day is a big day for not only contestants, whose fortunes are going to change, but also for punters as crores are expected to change hands.
“I am of the view that it is the first election that has witnessed a huge betting on the poll outcome after 1951. My friend has placed a bet of Rs 10 lakh on the party which forms the government in the State. Many punters have placed bets ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25 lakh on the outomce. Initially, the betting rings have offered 1:1 ratio for NDA and YSRC win before the exit polls. Now, they are offering 1:0.7 rate for NDA and YSRC,” a political leader from Cheepurupalli told TNIE.
A second-rung TDP leader who pins high hopes on regaining the old glory of the party, has placed a bet of Rs 25 lakh on the winning chances of his political party in a small village comprising nearly 2,500 votes in Srungavarapukota Assembly segment. His bet is that the TDP-led NDA will get at least 200 votes majority in the village against the YSRC candidate. Interestingly, he lost the sarpanch election by a margin of 91 votes against the YSRC candidate in the same village. He has also bet Rs 10 lakh on the victory of NDA. Now, the whole village is eagerly waiting for the poll outcome, revealed a TDP activist.