Crowds at liquor shops

The liquor shops reopened to surging customers after a two-day gap for GHMC polls on Tuesday evening.

The shops did brisk business from November 17 when the election notification was issued to November 29 when they were asked to be closed down. The sales during the period were worth ₹ 615 crore in GHMC limits covering Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal and Sangareddy districts. It compared to just ₹ 423 crore for the same period in the four districts last year.

The sales would have been much higher if the IT employees who were given work-from-home option had not returned to their home towns, a shop owner said.

According to Mr. D. Venkateswara Rao, president, Telangana Wine Shop Dealers Association, the ₹ 192 crore growth in sales ahead of polls was not significant considering distribution of liquor to voters by contestants in polls. The distribution was higher in districts because they did not have gated communities and apartment culture like in Hyderabad.

The absence of gated communities and apartments made it easy for political parties to distribute liquor to voters. In Hyderabad, however, the distribution will have to be restricted to slums. Even in the slums, the voters preferred to take money rather than liquor as they could buy brands of their choice within a budgeted amount. They did not savour brands thrust on them by parties, he said.