Tech campaign ends

Hyderabad, April 21: The campaign for the second and last phase of elections ended on Tuesday with the controversial issues relating to formation of Telangana dominating the state election scene since last week.

The election campaign for the 2009 elections was also a tech savvy one with many parties using SMS as a major tool for propaganda. The TD also provided live feeds of Mr Naidu’s speeches to the the media.
The poll will be held on April 23 between 7 am and 5 pm. The second phase gained significance with all the three Chief Ministerial candidates — Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy (Congress), Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu (Telugu Desam) and Chiranjeevi (Praja Rajyam) — testing their electoral fortunes.
Significantly, the Rs 8,000 crore Satyam fraud and award of contracts worth crores of rupees to Maytas did not figure in the campaign though the Opposition parties made a hue and cry in the run up for elections. Similarly, the TD gave a touch and go to infrastructure projects like Kakinada SEZ, Vadarevu and Nizampatnam Ports Industrial Corridor and Lepakshi science city in Anantapur. “The TD did not even announce cancellation of these projects. Mr Naidu has just said he would review the projects once he comes to power,” a noted industrialist pointed out. The TD chief during the election campaign in the second phase only mentioned in a few meetings that the Chief Minister had created a situation wherein Mr Ramalinga Raju had to go to jail while Satyam peaked its scales during his regime. “We cannot antagonise a strong community of Mr Ramalinga Raju which play a decisive role in several segments in coastal districts,” a TD leader admitted. Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Officer, Dr I.V. Subba Rao, said Election Watch was roped in to set up assistance booths to help voters verify their names in the electoral lists and the location of respective polling booths.
The booths are set up in Oxford Grammer School in Himayatnagar in city, Rajahmundry urban MRO office, e-Seva centre in Ramachandrapuram in East Godavari and SSA mosque centre in Kakinada, city corporation office in Vijayawada and district collector office in Machilipatnam, Kubera Towers in Guntur, MRO offices in Kadapa and Proddutur, Police welfare complex in Anantapur, collector office in Kurnool, 756F Tirumala Bypass Road in Tirumala and Chief Planning Officer office in Ongole.