The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Shift in YSR’s public meeting venue

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Thursday, Apr 02, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Shift in YSR’s public meeting venue

S. Harpal Singh

Superstition takes over decision to cancel DIET grounds

ADILABAD: Perhaps there is so much at stake in the elections that contestants do not mind being superstitious if it helps in avoiding risks. A case in point is the last minute change of venue affected by Congress candidate C. Ramchander Reddy for Tuesday’s public meeting of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy at Adilabad.

The venue was shifted from the DIET grounds to the Indira Priyardarshini stadium because of a superstition associated with it. The ‘jinxed’ terminology for the DIET ground came into existence during the 1983 elections when C. Ramchander Reddy lost the Adilabad Assembly election reportedly because a meeting was organised on this ground. Incidentally, that meeting was addressed by Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy, the then Chief Minister.

In 1985 elections, R. Laxman Rao, TDP candidate also lost presumably for the same reason. His election meeting on the DIET was addressed by N.T. Rama Rao. In 1989, TDP’s K. Chandrakanth Reddy lost and the loss was once again attributed to the public meeting organised at DIET. In 1994, C. Ramchander Reddy once again lost the election as Congress candidate and the election meeting at the jinxed ground was addressed by none other than Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy who was president of the AP Congress Committee then. In the 2004, TDP candidates S. Venugopalachary for Adilabad Lok Sabha seat and Jogu Ramanna for Adilabad Assembly constituency lost despite being tipped for a win. Given these instances, the Congress camp in Adilabad cannot be blamed if they opted for a shift in the venue for Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy’s meeting.

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