The election to a civic body has taken centre stage in the State with top leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties considering it prestigious and camping in the city. Over 2.29 lakh voters are going to exercise their franchise to elect their representatives for 48 out of 50 divisions in the Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Tuesday.
In all, 241 candidates are in the fray. They include the nominees of the TDP-BJP combine, the YSR Congress Party, the Congress, the Left parties, independents, and rebel candidates of the TDP-BJP combine and the YSRCP.
Not just the number of contestants, the campaign pattern of the parties too is raising curiosity among the people, who wonder as to why a local election is attracting State-level attention.
Be it running the election offices at the city and the division levels or fielding star campaigners, or heating up the political scene with allegations and counter-allegations, the political parties have turned the otherwise ordinary election process into an exercise involving high stakes.
As the KMC election is being conducted after the prestigious byelection to the Nandyal Assembly seat, the political circles have shifted their focus from Kurnool to East Godavari district.
Like in Nandyal, a win in Kakinada is also being considered crucial to prove their existence by both the ruling and Opposition camps.
That the polling to the KMC is scheduled to be conducted a day after Nandyal verdict is also a matter of concern for the parties, as they fear that the outcome would have an effect on the voting pattern here.
Both the groups have been bitter in criticising and accusing each other of distributing money, liquor, and gifts among the voters.
Rebels turn crucial
Both the camps have also focused on winning over the rebels of rival parties to ensure the winning chances of their own candidates. Deliberations with the rebels have formed part of the daily routine of top leaders.
What prompted the contesting candidates to spend huge money on poll campaigns is another interesting question. The election is being held after a long gap of 10 years and the first ever after the city has been declared ‘smart city’ by the Central government. What is there in the minds of the voters will be revealed only on September 1 when the counting of votes will be taken up.
