Mutual allegations and personal remarks have become the order of the day, as the polling day for the Nellore MP seat by-election is fast approaching.
The rival parties have started taking the campaign too personal at the cost of immediate developmental issues required to be addressed in the constituency.
Though Congress nominee T. Subbarami Reddy continued his positive-spirited electioneering from the beginning, the other leaders from the ruling party took upon their shoulders the task of sharply criticizing the rival nominees.
Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and Nellore Rural MLA Anam Vivekananda Reddy launched an unsparing attack, which went to the extent of describing YSR Congress nominee Mekapati Rajamohana Reddy as a failed MP who could not raise Nellore issues in the Parliament as he could not speak English.
Sheer opportunism
Quickly retorting, Mr. Rajamohana Reddy directed his ire at the Anam brothers saying that they were not competent to speak about his abilities as their political philosophy was sheer opportunism and utter selfishness. “I know enough English to make my point in the Parliament.
Let them listen now. Without solving farmers' problems, the country cannot see real growth. Congress leaders should stop being impatient in the face of losing elections,” he added.
Mr. Rajamohan Reddy and other YSRCP leaders stepped up their attack on the Congress nominee, saying that Mr. Subbarami Reddy was trying to cast a spell on the Nellore voters with his magician-like tricks of promising everything under the sun besides grabbing people's attention by bringing film stars. Even if all heroines in Tollywood campaigned for TSR's candidature, he was sure to lose with a considerable margin going by the overwhelming success of their honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma's road shows recently, he added.
Mr. Subbarami Reddy, who would not usually criticize rivals, at one point refuted the allegations about his empty promises and said that those, who could not bring development, do not understand the need for setting goals and making basic commitments. In his speeches, he kept reeling out a list of promises like getting a cricket stadium, medical college, FM station, underground drainage system and so on. He further said that he was distanced from Nellore as the seat fell in reserved category and from now his full focus would be on this area.
The sound and fury of campaign mainly consisted of Congress and YSRCP statements while only a little mention of TDP nominee Vanteru Venugopala Reddy's name was being heard. From the beginning, TDP campaign was low-key. However, TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu strongly criticized the rival parties in his road shows in Nellore district.