Hyderabad: Morphing videos, blackmailing speeches and war of words mark the electioneering process in Huzurabad segment as the two ruling parties of state and centre TRS and BJP take the hustings seriously. The election is slated for October 30 and the two parties are taking the bypoll as a challenge.
Technology is being used by the social media teams of two political parties exhaustively and both the major opponents are trying to hijack the advantage in that segment with the available resources. BJP is known for the social media network till date but that advantage is now grabbed by the TRS at the Huzurabad hustings. Both the parties roped in about thousand-odd activists each to cover the social media aspects and they are trying to concentrate on positive images of the parties as well as the exposure of the opponents. The sarcastic comments on the opponents are practiced more seriously by the social media teams and in the visual section of the campaign of social media morphing occupied a pivotal role. Surprisingly even the rural electorate were seen relying on the social media campaign of the major parties.
Though the roadshows, door-to-door campaign and community level meetings with state level leaders of the main contenders were taken up exhaustively, the campaign in the general section is being occupied mainly in hotels and eateries of the part. The political parties campaigning the hustings relied mainly on organising Daawaths in their respective parts to attract the attention of the vote bank in their respective regions.
Sources observe that the Huzurabad segment may witness one of the costliest election in the state. An unofficial calculation felt that each of the voters is likely to get about twenty thousand rupees on their head till the election date. Although the election commission stipulates a minimum election expenditure for campaigning and other election needs such as pamphlets, social media, banners and public meetings these limits were surpassed much before the issuance of the election notification in Huzurabad. Even the leaders were seen speaking out openly about the expenditure content to clinch the prestigious seat. Eatala Rajender, BJP candidate from this seat spoke at a public rally last week that his wife was insisting on spending huge money by selling even their properties to defeat the Chief minister KCR at this hustings. The ouster of Eatala from the cabinet of KCR and his expulsion from TRS necessitated the conduct of election in this seat.
Congress is the late beginner in the campaign and it of course is spending minimum amounts to gain the votes here.
Though BJP and TRS feel that spending huge amounts would fetch them the votes, the local voter seems more clever in making the parties opine that they would get the votes. The BJP of course is spending huge sums at the hustings but they opine that their money would translate into votes. It is at this juncture the blackmail politics of the two ruling parties came to the fore and the leaders accuse each other about the expenditure component.
The election is witnessing the deployment of a huge contingent of central forces particularly after the TRS men tried to attack central minister Kishan Reddy at a public rally.
On the other hand, the TRS is sparing no stone unturned at the hustings. There is a talk that the party strategists were trying to reach each and every voter with sops in the form of money.
