Parties ‘fix’ poll to gain edge

Hyderabad, April 13: Match fixing is not the dark secret of cricket alone; it is also highly prevalent in politics.

Powerful leaders of various parties secretly influence rival parties to field a weak candidate against them, so that they can have a smooth victory.

Another form of match fixing is to field an ‘independent’ or another candidate to spoil the chances of the rival by splitting votes of caste groupings.

Political analysts feel that there is a whiff of match fixing in many constituencies of the state.

Take for example the candidates in Guntur district. The Praja Rajyam had been planning to field Mr Kilari Rosaiah as its candidate from Guntur-2 constituency.

However, when the Congress candidate from Pedakurapadu, Mr K. Laxminarayana, moved to Guntur-2, Mr Rosaiah was shifted to another constituency though he was a strong contender.

Similarly, when the Congress minister, Mr Mukesh Goud, filed his nomination at Goshamahal, the Majlis-e Ittehadul Muslimeen fielded a candidate who could not match him.

The PCC chief, Mr D. Srinivas, insisted on fielding Ms Akula Lalitha from Nizamabad rural seat, though the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, wanted to field Mr Ganga Reddy, who has shifted his loyalty from the TRS. It is now known that this was done to benefit a particular candidate.

In some cases, other strategies are in play. In Vizag, the Telugu Desam candidate for Lok Sabha, Mr M.V.S. Murthy, is trying to strike a deal with the Congress Assembly candidates to cross-vote in favour of him to defeat his rival, Mrs Purandareswari.