ADILABAD: During every election, politicians indulge in the unethical practice of luring voters with all kinds of gifts. However, there is a change this time around — politicians are showering constituents with gifts openly, long before the elections.
This is due to the fact that the Election Commission of India is yet to announce the poll schedule and the model code of conduct, which — at least on paper — binds candidates and political parties from offering allurements, has not come into force.
Unabashed, some leaders are trying to attract the maximum number of voters to their side before the model code comes into force. While some leaders are seeking the support of woman voters by distributing sarees, some are handing out umbrellas while others are giving appliances like pressure cookers.
Interestingly, some leaders who are yet to be allotted tickets by their respective parties are also giving gifts to the voters. This trend is being witnessed among aspirants in the erstwhile Adilabad district, particularly by Congress leaders.
Most of these leaders are distributing gifts on behalf of foundations run by their families and their relatives. For instance, Kandi Srinivas Reddy started the groundwork right after applying for a Congress ticket for the Adilabad Assembly segment.
Confident of the grand old party approving his candidature, he has been distributing pressure cookers in the constituency on behalf of his KSR Foundation. There is speculation that he might contest as an Independent if Congress denies him the ticket.
Srinivas Reddy reportedly purchased around 40,000 pressure cookers for distribution among the residents of Adilabad town as well as various villages in the constituency. He has also been distributing sarees among woman voters and attending private functions and programmes being organised in the constituency.
Bhumakka and Anusha, residents of Adilabad town, said that distributing of pressure cookers to poor people is good and they would willingly accept the gifts. They, however, said that no one gave any pressure cookers to so far.
In Mancherial, the Bathukamma festival seems to have arrived a month early as the Congress constituency in-charge and former MLC Prem Sagar Rao started distributing sarees. Prem Sagar, who contested unsuccessfully from the segment in 2018, is optimistic about getting the ticket this time too.
Not to be left behind, a few leaders of the ruling BRS too have joined the bandwagon. Prominent among them is Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy. As it is monsoon season, he has been distributing umbrellas imprinted with his photos and that of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in the Nirmal constituency which he currently represents.