KARIMNAGAR : As the mercury keeps rising, candidates of different political parties are finding it difficult to engage daily wage workers in their campaign.
Unlike in the previous polls, the labourers are reportedly not willing to campaign the whole day. Instead, they are offering their services only in the mornings and evenings. This is especially so in the Karimnagar and Peddapalli Lok Sabha constituencies.
In fact, the workers are demanding more money for less hours of work due to rising temperatures.
According to one “agent” who mobilises people for such canvassing work, the labourers are demanding anywhere between `200 to `300, water, butter milk and other such beverages to attend street corner meetings, which usually last around two hours.
“To attend public meetings, where they have to spend at least five hours, they are demanding `500, snacks and beverages,” he added.
Political parties are now competing with each other to mobilise people for their campaign meetings and roadshows. They are approaching the “agents” to book people in advance.
Speaking to TNIE, an activist of a national party said: “It has become a Herculean task to mobilise people. Their demands have increased. They are also not willing to work the whole day. They are also preferring corner meetings instead of door-to-door campaigns and public meetings.”
“Even if we agree to their demands, there is no guarantee that they will turn up. They are changing their mind at the last moment and going with our rivals if they offer more money,” he added.
Though they are being offered more than as per their demands, these workers continue to be exploited by the “agents”.
Laxmi, who has been taking part in campaigns of different parties, complains of “middlemen” cutting into their earnings.