The TDP chairman claims that the “unofficial” volunteer organization aims to coerce voters
As the campaign vehicle rolled along the sun-drenched streets to the beat of drums and the roar of microphone sets, passers-by turned their heads in the direction of Panabaka Lakshmi, the TDP candidate for the by-election for the Tirupati (SC) Lok Sabha constituency.
This is in sharp contrast to the 2019 general election, where the population barely noticed the TDP campaign when the Jagananna wave touched the coat of arms.
“Now the same voters are approaching us to openly express their support for our party. My victory is certain if the elections are free and fair, ”said Ms. Lakshmi The Hindu in an interview during their campaign.
Despite the scorching heatwave and lurking risk of COVID-19, the TDP candidate is trying to cover every corner of the constituency, which is made up of seven assembly segments – three in Chittoor and four in Nellore districts.
“Abuse of power”
The day after TDP President K. Atchannaidu set up a cell phone number asking people to file intimidation complaints from the village / community volunteers, Ms. Lakshmi was furious at the way in which the “unofficial Unity ”has become an integral part of the administrative hierarchy of the state, especially in the achievement of benefits and social assistance systems for deserving people.
While the tax officials, police officers, elected officials and party leaders have always sided with the ruling party, the expanded number of volunteers has given the ruling dispensation an added benefit, which it claims is a “carrot and stick”. Politics towards the voters.
“An illiterate woman in the remote village of Kota, Nellore District, has confessed that the village volunteer will see her election as a mobile warning, and has disguised that it will affect her pension if she does not vote for the verdict, party. Doesn’t that mean cheating the gullible voters? “She wanted to know.
The TDP has reiterated its often-voiced allegation that the BJP and YSRCP have formed, albeit secretly, an “unholy alliance” to remove the TDP from the political landscape.
“Both have found that we are a tough nut to crack. Our party is a cadre party that will surely have an impact on rural areas, ”stressed Ms. Lakshmi before getting into the campaign vehicle for a second advertising phase.