Their campaigning styles are in sharp contrast to each other! The experienced one has the advantage of familiarity, as he effortlessly weaves through the lanes and bylanes of Lal Bazaar in Tirumalgiri knowing full well that residents here recognise him.
The younger one, a first time entrant to the rough and tumble of election campaign, is saddled with the tag of an ‘outsider’. Nevertheless, he puts up a brave front and tries best to introduce himself, so that the voter recalls his face while voting. The experienced candidate is G. Sayanna from TDP, the hat-trick hero from Secunderabad Cantonment, who is fighting from the Assembly segment for the fifth time. Hailing from Karimnagar, the young one with an ‘outsider’ tag is TJAC leader Gajjala Kantham, who was chosen by the Congress to fight it out in the segment.
“People should not doubt a man who has always stood and fought for backward classes. I am trying to meet every voter here to drive home this message. I will be there for them in times of crisis,” he says gamely.
The main premise of Sayanna’s campaign revolves around familiarity. He greets voters by holding their hands, shows the ubiquitous victory symbol and moves on to the next doorstep. After him, the local party workers follow to distribute TDP pamphlets and pass on a clear cut message about the apparent advantages of having a ‘local’ man with a familiar face at the helm. “Voters here know me personally and are aware of the developmental activities that I had taken up in the past. I have done significant work in distributing pattas to residents of Sastry Nagar, Adarshnagar, Bolaram and Balamrai. There are several other residents in Battery lines and nearby basthis who do not have land ownership. Addressing drinking water problem here is another priority for me,” he says. The Congress workers and Gajjala Kantham, however, point out that the party’s commitment in forming a separate Telangana will impress voters. “Voters will not opt for parties that have opposed Telangana. Moreover, what were these so called senior leaders doing till now in Cantonment? There are no proper drainage facilities and residents here struggle for potable water. They have not addressed these basic issues when they had the opportunity. I am raising these questions while meeting voters,” says Gajjala Kantham. The TJAC leader surely doesn’t want to make it a cakewalk for TDP candidate Sayanna and others in the fray from Cantonment.
