- The Price of Power: Telangana Local Elections Fuel Economic Surge
- Rs 8,000 Crore Expected to Change Hands in the Elections
- Panchayat Elections Recalled as a Festival in Villages
- Candidates Ready to Spend Rs 10 Lakh to 40 Lakh to Win as Sarpanch
- Unanimous Elections Held in Only 5 to 9 Per Cent of GPs
- Nearly More Than Two Candidates Contesting in Most GPs
- Tension Expected to Prevail During Counting Day
- Money Spent in Elections Gives a Push to Real Estate
- Election Amount is expected to Pour-in to the Market
- No Party Symbols in the Election
- Election Not Being Held on Party Lines
Local body elections in Telangana are being viewed on two counts: as a Dasara festival-like atmosphere in one sense, and the prevailing tensions and division of villagers into groups in another. A festival atmosphere prevailed during the filing of nominations, and seriousness and tension were viewed during the campaign, with ruckus occurring at the time of counting and after the results. Such a situation is expected to be witnessed in every village in the first-phase elections, which are going to be held on December 14. Each and every village used to witness a Jathara (fair) while the candidates filed nominations. The hullabaloo during the campaign witnessed high allegations and counter-allegations. Sometimes, uproar and commotion were accompanied by verbal duels. In some villages where the political rivalry is high, a police post is seen in the gram panchayat. As the election date for the first phase is nearing, the candidates are speeding up their campaign.
Three-Phase Election
Elections are being held in three phases, on December 11, 14, and 17 and over one lakh polling stations have been readied for it. The first phase is going to be held on Thursday. Elections are being organized in 12,728 gram panchayats and 1,12,242 wards. Unanimous elections were held in only ten percent of the gram panchayats, and the remaining are going for elections. Though these elections are being held on a non-political basis, the candidates were divided party-wise.
In Vemsoor mandal in Sattupalli assembly constituency in Khammam district, elections will be held in 23 gram panchayats, and a unanimous election was witnessed in three gram panchayats. Likewise, only four gram panchayats elected their sarpanches unanimously in Dammapet mandal in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, and the election campaign is rigorous in 27 GPs here. The number of candidates will be in the fray of Gram Panchayats will be around 40, 000 for sarpanch posts and 2.2 lakh for wards.
Election Expenditure Beyond Expectation
As the election date is nearing, the spending of money by the candidates started increasing. The election expenditure will be high even in tribal reserved gram panchayats. Mandalapalli gram panchayat is in Dammapet mandal. Four candidates are in the fray in Mandalapali gram panchayat, where the electioneering is going on seriously by the candidates. The election campaign and seriousness in the tribal panchayats is on par with the general GPs. Though some of the leaders tried for a unanimous election in different GPs in Telangana, it was in vain due to the immense interest of the candidates in the election.
Money Is Not a Matter to the Candidates
The election expenditure in Dammapet mandal, where only one Gram Panchayat is unreserved, will be around Rs 6 crore. Even the candidates who are in the fray without the support of political parties are ready to spend ranging from Rs 5 lakh to 45 lakh. For Gram Panchayats with a population below 5,000, the sarpanch candidates can spend Rs 1.5 lakh and ward members Rs 30,000. The leaders consider the sarpanch post as a symbol of pride, and there is allegedly a chance of earning back double the amount spent in the election. The rate of farmlands is Rs 20 lakh to Rs 2 crore per acre, and farmland is being considered as precious in villages. The sarpanch’s blessing is a need for the farmland buyer for smooth land transactions. In such a case, the sarpanch will act as a mediator between the parties, and some amount will be paid by the two parties to him. Likewise, the sarpanch will have command over the sand and soil of the village.
Experts Expect Coming of Rs 8,000 Crore into the Market
Market experts of real estate estimate the pouring of Rs 8,000 crore into the open market through the election, and it will give an impetus to the real estate, which is stable now. K Rama Rao, a real estate expert, said the amount will be another Rs 8,000 crore if MPTC and ZPTC elections are held in 31 districts.
“This amount will push the real estate market, and just 1,000 real estate transactions will start rotating the money. The sellers who sold their asset will try to invest it in other properties. Such momentum will lead to 10,000 transactions. Then, the lull in real estate will be broken off with it.”
Principle Correspondent, Prime Post
Adapa Dora, journalist cum farmer, proved his excellence in both the fields. While working in Andhra Bhoomi (Telugu Paper) and Deccan Chronicle, he forced a famous seed company to pay compensation to the maize farmers for crop loss due to the supply of spurious seeds to them. He wished to maintain harmony between tribals and non-tribals in the mandals of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district for the prosperous of both groups.
