ANANTAPUR: With the polling complete, leaders of both the ruling YSRC and the TDP-JSP-BJP combine have started polling booth-wise assessment of the people’s mandate. The ground-level assessment is being done as to how cash was distributed to the voters on the eve of polling. This has made those lower rung leaders given responsibility for cash distribution as the auditing may ‘expose’ them, sources said.
In the erstwhile undivided Anantapur district, both the parties have got ready for the audit of cash distribution to the voters, based on which the victory or defeat of the candidate will be analysed.
During the audit, the top leaders are likely to ask the lower rung about votes polled for the party booth-wise to assess the winning prospects. How much cash they had received for distribution to voters, how much was distributed, if not distributed, the reason for doing so and other aspects are likely to be covered.
Further, to ensure the money trail is known, the party coordinators were asked to collect the details of voters, how many voters might have voted in their favour, if the amount was not distributed, reasons, how much was left over, how much was paid to each voter, etc.
Based on the factual feedback, the think tanks of both the parties will analyse village and ward-specific data to conclude how many votes might have polled in their favour. Further, this type of survey named -- Fact Check -- is also meant to single out those who took the money from the party for distribution to the voters, but had not distributed, partially distributed, or unevenly distributed. Now, those who took up the responsibility of cash distribution, are in a fix and looking for ways to cover up the shortcomings, if any.
Talk in the political circles is that cutting across party lines, the cash meant for distribution has not reached the voters in some places. Both the parties want to complete the survey at the earliest and initiate action against the ‘errant’ before the election results are out.