Aspirant says PR sold ticket

BY J.R.PRASAD

Hyderabad, March 29: The Opposition has one thing in common: Disgruntled activists embarrassing the leadership by public protests. In contrast, the Congress has seen surprisingly little dissidence.

A discontented Praja Rajyam aspirant, film director B. Sampath Kumar, put up a “To let” board at the party’s office in Warangal. “The party sold the ticket to those who did not contribute to the party,” he said, voicing a popular complaint against the party.

In Kalwakurti, the PR office was set on fire, the car of a PR leader was set ablaze in Kurnool. The TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, tasted the ire of disgruntled leaders at NTR Ghat on the party founding day. Unhappy aspirants, including followers of the former minister, Mr P. Chandrasekhar, and the NTR Fans Association founder-president, Mr S. Rajeswar, shouted slogans.

Mr Naidu blamed the Mahakutami seat-sharing for their not getting tickets. The Telangana Bhavan, the TRS headquarters, turned into a battleground with party activists attacking the place. Police had to intervene to keep the peace.

Activists from Andole and Wardhannapet ransacked the office, and their leaders, Mr Kranthi and Mr B. Rajaiah, threatened to contest as rebels. One person was seriously injured. Some TRS activists wanted the party chief, Mr K. Chandrashekar Rao, to contest from Medak and shouted slogans against Vijaya-shanti. Her supporters shou-ted counter-slogans leading to tension for some time.

Rebel factor plagues Opposition

Hyderabad

March 29: Rebel trouble is the Opposition parties with disgruntled leaders of the three major parties, the Telugu Desam, Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the Praja Rajyam, planning to upset the winning chances of the official nominees.
The TD is facing trouble not only in the constituencies which its candidates are in the fray but also in those seats left to the partners of the Grand Alliance.
For instance, the party’s Adilabad district president, Mr Gone Hanumantha Rao, has filed his nomination for the Manchiryal Assembly seat to take on the party’s official candidate.
Nine such “ditched” leaders have also filed their nominations in Adilabad district itself.
Likewise, the former MLA and senior party leader, Mr B. Ch. Garataiah, has filed his nomination for the Addanki seat to take on the official candidate, Mr K. Balarama Krishnamurthy. Several other leaders who were denied tickets are also planning to file their nominations shortly.
In the TRS, 10 rebels have so far filed their nominations defying the leadership to defeat the party’s official candidates.
For the Karimnagar Assembly seat, Mr Katari Devender Rao and Mr Ravinder Singh have filed nominations against the wishes of the party leadership.
As for the Praja Rajyam, trouble is brewing for its chief, Chiranjeevi, in Tirupati, where two party men have vowed to fight him for not allotting them tickets.
Mr Ramakotaiah, who was denied ticket for the Nuziveedu seat, has vowed to take on Chiranjeevi “in order to let people know about the PR leadership’s hollowness in providing social justice.
Another Praja Rajyam leader, Ms Chandu Supriya, a physically-challenged person, has also decided to contest from Tirupati as an independent, to expose the “non-fulfilment of PR chief’s promise of allotting seats to differently-abled persons”.
Surprisingly, unlike earlier, this time the Congress is the only party in which dissidence activity is minimal.

BJP to take on T state mantle

Hyderabad

March 29: With the TRS failing to identify “winnable” candidates, the Bharatiya Janata Party is now trying to project itself as the real champion of Telangana.
The BJP held an emergency meeting here with all the 17 Lok Sabha and 110 Assembly candidates from Telangana region and asked the nominees to grab the opportunity and win the elections.
The BJP will mainly target the TRS in the ensuing elections by highlighting the “sale” of tickets to contractors and realtors.
The senior party leader, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, and other leaders suggested strategies that the candidates should adopt to win elections.
They told the contestants to explain to the voters that a separate state was possible only with the BJP since it had already assured that a separate state would be created within 100 days if the National Democratic Alliance government came to power at the Centre.

Naidu runs call centre at TD

By J.R.PRASAD

Hyderabad. March 29: One may mistake NTR Bhavan for a college, what with scores of youngsters clad in T-shirts-and jeans strolling about.

They are not aspiring politicos, rather, they are working at a call centre set up by the Telugu Desam to measure the pulse of the voters.
The TD president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, has set up the call centre to gather feedback directly from the voters. The party will take corrective action immediately if the party’s candidates are not faring well.
The call centre, set up in the library building of the TD’s office, has about 400 youngsters. They dial phone numbers at random, speak to the voters and collect feedback on the performance of the candidates of every party.
The TD has employed the young graduates for a month at Rs 6,000. They are provided with a questionnaire and a local telephone directory to pick up numbers.
The call centre has 350 phones. The party’s backroom boy and Narayana Educational Institutions owner, Mr Narayana, looks after the call centre.
Sources said the feedback would be helpful to take additional steps like distributing money and wooing voters from different castes wherever the chances of a TD candidate are bleak.
“After picking a random phone number from the directory, we ask questions right from the prospects of the candidates to the schemes announced by various parties,” said a call centre employee. “We also concentrate on getting information on the caste equations in the respective mandals and constituencies,” he said.
The callers conceal their identity. Asked about the call centre, the party senior leader, Mr K. Ramamohana Rao, said, “We have set up the call centre only to gauge the people’s pulse.”

TD: Free power to watch TV

Hyderabad

March 29: The Telugu Desam chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Sunday promised free power for those who get the colour TVs that he promised earlier if he comes to power.
Mr Naidu was talking to the party cadre on the occasion of the TD’s 28th formation day.
Mr Naidu hit back at his detractors who had called TD’s poll promises of cash transfer scheme and distribution of colour TVs to the poor as election gimmicks and said, “I swear I will keep all my promises at any cost soon after coming to power.”
Mr Naidu said he has been asked by many about the power required to run the free TVs. “I promise that free electricity will be supplied to all who get the TVs.”
“In fact, I had already said free power would be supplied to households with two bulbs, a fan and a TV,” he pointed out.
Mr Naidu said the sale of TV sets has declined after his promise to provide free TVs — which proves that the people trust the TD.
Meanwhile, Mr Naidu appeared to have decided to completely bank on the late NTR’s fame instead of projecting the developmental works that he initiated in the state during his nine-year regime. He has told his party activists to recite NTR’s name to help the TD to win the elections.
“NTR was not an ordinary person, Mr Naidu told TD men. “He was an institution who changed the course of history. His name has enormous power. If we recite his name, all our fears will go.”
Mr Naidu went on to say that the TD would sweep the polls with NTR’s blessings.
Apart from singing praises of his late father-in-law, Mr Naidu praised Junior NTR who had met with an accident and was undergoing medical treatment.
“Though Junior NTR is bed-ridden, he is eager to get back to campaigning,” Mr Naidu said. “It shows his commitment to protect the TD which was set up by his grandfather.”
Meanwhile, Mr Naidu will release the party’s manifesto on Monday and kick-off his poll campaign from Karimnagar district on Tuesday.

TD, TRS in friendly poll contest

Hyderabad

March 29: The Telugu Desam and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti which are at loggerheads over seat-sharing are all set to field candidates from their respective parties for a “friendly contest”.
Warangal East is one seat where both the parties will be pit candidates against each other.
The TRS chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, on Sunday called on the TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, at latter’s residence in Hyderabad. The talks lasted for over an hour.
Sources said, “Despite the hour-long meeting both leaders failed to arrive at an amicable agreement over the disputed seats.”
The bone of contention is not only pertaining to seats but also about the candidates fielded by the TRS.
Mr Naidu was believed to have suggested that the TRS should rethink on the candidatures at least in half half of the constituencies allotted to it, as the existing candidates were not winnable. However, Mr Rao rejected the TD chief’s suggestion.
It has been learnt that Mr Rao also refused to listen to the TD chief’s repeated appeals to withdraw the TRS’s candidates in seats where the Left parties were contesting.
These developments may further widen the rift between the Mahakutami partners.

CM is factionist: Satish Reddy

Hyderabad

March 28: Taking on the most powerful politician in the state is no child’s play.
However, Mr Satish Reddy, the Telugu Desam nominee, is doing just that. He will take on the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, in the Pulivendla Assembly constituency for the third time and hopes to succeed. Though Mr Satish Reddy, 46, has lost elections twice earlier, he has not done badly. He got half the number of votes that Dr Reddy polled.
“Unlike in the earlier elections, Dr Rajasekhar Reddy has grown in stature. But, he is still a big factionist today. He is winning elections by terrorising people,” Mr Satish Reddy told this newspaper.
Mr Satish Reddy contested in the 1999 and 2004 elections and lost by a heavy margin. Facing a series of cases, including the murder of two Congress workers, Mr Satish Reddy claims, “Dr Reddy is more feared than he is loved in Pulivendla. He is ruling the roost with money and muscle power.”
The TD nominee said since a fortnight he had covered a large part of the constituency and has intensified his campaign. “The response from the people is enthusiastic. I am seeking the blessings of all people.”

EC: Not easy to lure voters

Hyderabad

March 28: The Chief Electoral Officer, Dr I.V. Subba Rao, said the candidates contesting elections cannot trick the Election Commission and lure voters with money and liquor.
With a firm view to curtail corrupt practices, the EC has changed its earlier strategy of having three Central observers for each Lok Sabha segment. It has instead appointed one Central observer for each Assembly segment besides three LS observers.
In an interview with this newspaper the CEO highlighted the new initiatives taken to enroll voters, prepare electoral rolls with photographs. He also talked of the hiccups in distribution of voter identity cards and implementation of the model code. Dr Rao has already proved a tough nut when it comes to implementing the model code. The CEO has filed cases against the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, and the TRS chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, during the byelections in Telangana districts a few months ago.
The CEO has warned that the candidates will be continuously monitored with their activities being caught on video.
The tough stand taken by the state election authorities can be gauged by the fact that Rs 1 crore was seized even before the election campaign had begun and 2,500 unauthorised liquor outlets, popularly known as belt shops, have been shut down.
Thanks to the strict enforcement, the wine dealers also offered to close their shops and urged the EC to order the government to restrict supplies.
Dr Rao dismissed the apprehensions that the party in power was put to hardships even as the Opposition parties were let off. “The ruling party will definitely have certain advantages because it is in power. The very spirit behind incorporating a separate chapter on dos and don’ts for the party in power is to be create a level playing field,” he pointed out.
The CEO denied that the election authorities overstepped by asking the finance department to release bills to irrigation contractors on first-come- first-serve basis? “No. We never intend to undermine other organs of Constitution,” the CEO said.
Maintaining that irrational disbursement of public money was noticed in payment of bills to irrigation contractors, he said the EC had a mandate of preventing misuse of public money during elections.

Nominees supply biryani, booze

Hyderabad/tirupati

March 28: Biryani packets, liquor bottles and cash were distributed freely to the massive crowd which accompanied the minister for health insurance, Ms G. Arunakumari, when she filed her nominations at Chandragiri town on Saturday.
Over 15,000 people were roped in to make the nomination a gala event and police also helped out by diverting traffic. The crowds were shipped into the town in hundreds of vehicles by Congress leaders but they grew restive by about 10.30 am and threatened to leave if they were not given the promised gifts.
Following this, food liquor and cash were distributed. The men were given Rs 100 each and the women Rs 50 each. Ms Arunakumari arrived at around 11 am and reached the tehsildar office to file her nomination in a grand procession from the Nagalamma temple. Later, she addressed the gathering at Kothapeta junction and said only the Congress had the moral right to demand votes from the people.
There was huge rush in the offices of the returning officers across the state after prominent candidates of all political parties rushed to file nomination papers on Saturday, an auspicious day.
“A total of 118 candidates for Lok Sabha and 1,021 candidates for Assembly constituencies filed their nominations on Saturday,” said the chief electoral officer, Mr I.V. Subba Rao. “Another 12 candidates for Lok Sabha and 75 candidates for Assembly also filed papers for the second phase of polls.”
Among the prominent candidates who filed nominations were the PCC president Mr D. Srinivas, the TRS president, Mr K. Chandrashekar Rao, the home minister, Mr K. Jana Reddy, and the BJP leader, Mr Bandaru Dattatreya. Meanwhile 17 nominations have been filed for the 13 Assembly constituencies on the first day of the nominations which began Saturday in Krishna district in Vijayawada. No nominations were filed for the Tiruvuru, Nandigama and Pamarru assembly constituencies and also for Machilipatnam and Vijayawada Parliamentary constituencies sources said. In Ongole minister of state for health and family welfare, Ms Panabaka Lakshmi, filed her nomination for Bapatla (SC) parliamentary constituency as congress candidate.

Naidu jams mobiles to stop leaks

By J.R.PRASAD

Hyderabad, March 28: The Telugu Desam, so good at “managing” candidates, has gone into overdrive to prevent disappointed aspirants from switching over to other parties. So much so, the TD has installed cellphone jammers at the party chief, Mr Chandrababu Naidu’s residence to prevent information from leaking out.

While the Congress has accommodated the odd TD rebel, the PR is looking for “migratory birds.” The TD president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, is known to release poll lists very late at night, but he beat even his record this time. The party released its third list at 1.45 am, the early hours of Saturday.

Journos sleeping at home were woken up by an SMS from the TD that said: “Please check your e-mail for third list of TD candidates.” When asked about this, Mr Naidu only smiled.
For the record however, the first list was released around noon because the time was auspicious. A second, smaller, list was announced about 8.30 pm.

Interestingly, cellphone jammers have been set up at Mr Naidu’s residence to prevent “sources” from leaking information to the media, other parties and, most importantly, the aspirants themselves. Sources said Mr Naidu’s son, Mr Lokesh Naidu, who is looking after party affairs, was instrumental in setting up the jammers.

Asked about the jammers, a close aide of Mr Naidu, said, “We suspect some of our leaders (of leaking information). As soon as any meeting is held at Mr Naidu’s residence, the deliberations are passed to other parties.” “To contain moles, we have set up jammers,” the aide explained. The TD delaying its list had its effect. The PR kept postponing its list throughout Saturday. It was released only late at night.