VIJAYAWADA: Soon after the silence period started at 6 pm on Saturday drawing curtains on the nearly two month-long intense election campaign in the State, Assembly and Lok Sabha contestants got busy luring voters with cash and kind to win the elections.
Though election commission observers, district authorities, flying squads and local police have intensified vigil to curb electoral malpractices, agents belonging to both the ruling YSRC and tripartite alliance leaders are said to be distributing money to the voters urging them to vote in favour of their candidates on Monday.
The amount seems to be ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000, and the other inducements include costly gifts such as sarees and electronic gadgets.
In prestigious Assembly segments like Pithapuram, Mangalagiri, Kuppam, Pulivendula, Vijayawada Central, Mylavaram, Gudivada, Undi, Bhimavaram, Gannavaram, Darsi, Chirala, Nellore, Kavali, Ongole, Kakinada, Eluru, Hindupur, Nagari and Tirupati, the agents of contestants are said to be ready to offer any amount of money.
The offering for vote is said to be quite high in Vijayawada, Guntur, Kadapa and other Lok Sabha constituencies where the heavyweights of YSRC and TDP-JSP-BJP combine are in fray.
While cash is being directly distributed to the voters at their houses at some places, in other places representatives of contestants are issuing coupons to avoid police vigil. The coupons can be exchanged at designated shops in villages or towns for cash.
“The coupon mode is to avoid being caught by police or election commission observers. Agents are visiting the houses of voters secretly and giving money requesting them to cast their votes in favour of the respective parties,” said Rushi of Gurunanak Colony.
In segments where the biggies are contesting, the amount being spent has allegedly crossed an all time high. “Since Pithapuram is being considered prestigious for the NDA with JSP chief Pawan Kalyan in the fray, voters are being lured by offering huge amounts as there are better chances of YSRC candidate Vanga Geetha’s win in the election,” said a local on the condition of anonymity.
In Satyanarayanapuram of Vijayawada Central segment, a milk vendor was seen discussing with his customers about the cash distribution by the agents of contestants. “They are giving Rs 1,000 per vote, but only to the selected voters. They even came to my house, but I refused. I came to know that the other party too is offering the same,” he said.
The woman, he was speaking to, admitted that she too received Rs 1,000 per vote, but expressed dissatisfaction over the discrimination in cash distribution. She complained that her cousin, living on the hillocks in One Town, which falls in Vijayawada West constituency, was given Rs 3,000.
It is learnt that in Jaggaiahpet, cash distribution commenced on Saturday afternoon with election agents of contestants visiting the identified houses and giving Rs 1,000 in both urban and rural areas. However, some people bargained and got Rs 1,500 per vote, sources said.
Meanwhile, there are allegations that the election commission officials and police turned a blind eye to the rampant distribution of money across the State despite complaints by agents of both the ruling and opposition parties.
