Hyderabad Blues

Semis Finals

The semi-finals are here. A sum total of 255 candidates are in the fray. By-elections to 18 Assembly and one Lok Sabha seat in Andhra Pradesh spread over 12 districts are being seen as a run-up to the 2014 general elections. "If the Congress government lasts that long," say the YSR Congress leaders. While these elections were caused by the resignation of 17 MLAs and one MP who joined the Jagan camp, apart from Chiranjeevi's promotion to the Rajya Sabha, the fact is that politics in AP will never be the same again. Despite the TRS being the strongest force in Telangana, AP has essentially been a two-party state. If Jagan does sweep at least 16 seats as widely predicted, if not all, then the Telugu Desam and Congress have to figure out whose votebanks have been encroached into more. Both TD and Congress worry that fence-sitters will take the leap now and might force an early election on the state. While the Telugu Desam campaign has been largely driven by its president Chandrababu Naidu, the Congress has seen an army of leaders going all out to woo voters. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Botsa Satyanarayana, Chiranjeevi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Oscar Fernandes, Vyalar Ravi to name a few. And after Jagan's arrest, it's his mother Vijayalakshmi and sister Sharmilla who have driven the poll wagon with great success.

The J Factor

While Chiranjeevi who resigned as Tirupati MLA wants to retain the seat for Congress, Naidu has canvassed thrice in the temple town. The YSR Congress saved the best for the last. Sharmilla and Vijayalakshmi drew a massive crowd at Leela Mahal centre in Tirupati. It's the J factor all the way in these polls. Except in Parkal in Warangal district where the T-factor has an upper hand. Terming Jagan one of the most corrupt politicians in the world, the TRS has been telling voters that a vote for the YSR Congress would mean a vote for Jagan and against Telangana. BJP's Sushma Swaraj who campaigned here drew a good crowd too but refrained from attacking Jagan. In Parkal, it is not the individual but Telangana statehood that remains the biggest motivating force. If Jagan's party were to win Parkal, it would be half the battle won for the party. June 15 will tell all.

Ten Votes Per Person

Who's the busiest of them all? It's Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwarlal. Since the poll campaign began, Bhanwarlal's office in the Secretariat has never seen a dull moment. The number of complaints filed by political parties against each over misuse of media, money and liquor in the campaign have been many. Bhanwarlal in fact began allotting specific time to parties to submit their petitions so that they wouldn't disturb him at other hours in the day. Parties used photos of their leaders submitting appeals to Bhanwarlal as part of their poll agenda. At one point, Bhanwarlal, who got tired of the whole "he said, she said" business appealed to political parties to set their own houses in order before lodging complaints. The person who has suffered from a constant foot-in-mouth affliction has however been Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy. Perhaps swayed by Chiranjeevi's presence by his side, Kiran Kumar asked each person to cast 10 votes for the Congress. He was taking a hint from Chiranjeevi's hit film Stalin. The EC was not amused and slapped him with a notice. What the CM actually meant was that each voter must ensure that at least 10 others must vote for the Congress in a Ponzi scheme style. And after this slip-up, Kiran Kumar asked people not to cast their votes for kasais (butchers) like Jagan. The butcher community raised a furore and asked the CM to apologise which one doesn't remember the CM bowing down to.

Cash Flows

Meanwhile, Bhanwarlal has got more important issues on hand. There are 46 lakh voters who will exercise their ballot in 5,413 polling stations. For the first time, it is only an electoral identity card or a voter slip issued by the EC that will be allowed. In other words, no driving licences, bank cards, ration cards etc. The rules are strict and they have to be going by the amount of money seized during the campaign. Rs 42 crore worth of cash apart from silver and gold worth Rs 13 crore. In the 2009 general elections, the cash seized was Rs 38 crore — and that was for the entire state. Oh yes, the currency is flowing.

Namaste, Voters

YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy recently faced the CBI court through a video conference. The Kadapa MP, whose current address is the Chanchalguda, jail was asked to sit in a chair by officials at least an hour before the trial commenced. Probably tired out by all the visitors he's been receiving not to mention some brisk badminton, Jagan is said to have nodded off. He was woken up by some loud clapping and jolted to attention. And before saying anything, Jagan quickly broke into his trademark smile and folded his hands in a namaste, say sources. A politician always has to keep his namastes ready.

High Life

Polls come and go, but the "high life" must go on. A rave party was busted in Banjara Hills by police who discovered a neat stash of cocaine, LSD, micro LSD, MDMA, Ecstacy and some very high youngsters tripping on trance music. So far rave parties used to be confined to farmhouses on outskirts of the city. This is the first time the police have interrupted a party bang in the middle of the city's posh locality. A Ugandan student who was part of the "ecstatic" crowd had obtained the drugs from a Nigerian in Goa. Cops say that the parents of the youngsters were in the know that their wards were into drugs but did not do anything.

Mega Wedding

And in the midst of all the hoopla, comes a mega wedding. Chiranjeevi's son Ramcharan Tej is set to tie the knot with Apollo Hospitals chairman Pratap Reddy's granddaughter Upasana on June 14. The wedding festivities are already on in full swing. The young couple are not trimming costs or the guest list. The who's who of Bollywood, politicians, industrialists, P3 celebs and even some common villagers are part of the guest list. And yes, if you want to know, the Bachchans and three Khans will be attending.