Parties, Old and New Jump Into Baldia Election ‘Race’

 - D Vishnumohan Rao

The bell has rung for the long, long awaited elections to the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (Baldia, as it is fondly uttered in the region). The rat race! Errr…the seat race started, as the old and new parties swung into action and started claiming majority, rather thumping majority long before anything had practically happened. Along with the newer political parties, newer slogans also forayed onto the screen for the Baldia elections that were triggered off after a 15-year long silence.

Baldia elections are proposed to be completed latest by the end of January 2002. According to some analyses, while all the parties are neck deep in finalising their strategies, Majlis Ithehadul Muslimeen (MIM) is having higher chances to snatch away the Mayor position similar the earlier election, way back in 1986.

As part of the strategies and action networks, state ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) launched people awareness campaign (Jana Chaithanya Yatras), main Opposition in the House took up its traditional ‘foot’ing campain (Pada Yatras) while the Bharatiya Janata Party (which is yet to decide whether it will be friendly with ruling party or not) thinking that people were in snoring sleep started to ‘awaken’ them through they Jana Jagruthi campaign.

The new additions to this year’s calendar, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Telangana Saadhana Samithi (TSS) are bubbling with enthusiasm to, probably, win all the seats in a single sweep. However, the news in the air is spreading an open secret message that either or both of them might go for an understanding with their (earlier) main opposition Congress.

With the Communists going undercurrent in their canvassing tactics, let us take an overview of the situation prevailing.

Multiplying vote(rs) bank

Compared to the previous Baldia election in 1986, the size of voters in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad has more than doubled for the election in 2002. According to the Baldia officials quote to HamaraShehar.com, in 1986 as many as 12 lakh voters exercised their franchise. Whereas, it is estimated to cross 30 lakh by the time final lists are prepared in January 2002.

Migration of people from various parts or the state and country during the past 15 years besides transformation of yester election children into today’s voters is believed to be the reason behind this. Eventually, the 75 division of Baldia in 1986 were demarcated as 100 divisions for the ensuing elections.

The official machinery, which made appropriate arrangements for the 1999 Assembly and Parliament elections, is now gearing and oiling again for conduction of this election. For the 1999 elections, a total of 3,700 polling booths were set up. In addition to these there might be a few hundreds of polling booths needed to be set up for this election. Electronic voting machines were used in 1999 and the same process will be followed. Baldia officials stated that in the divisions with more than 16 contestants a second voting machine should be used.

Eves get 34 divisions and Adams 66

Following the 33.3% commitment, 34 divisions of 100 are reserved for women in this election. Of the 34 divisions, 20 belong to general, 11 for backward castes, and three for scheduled castes.

In the 66 open divisions, 38 remain unreserved, while BCs get 22, five for SCs and one for Scheduled Tribe.

It is believed that the tables have turned over in the case eve contestants for this election. In 1986, the trend was that women were behind political parties for tickets. The present situation is that, as there are more parties getting into the fray, parties are searching for women candidates to award tickets.

Do Lefts shake ‘hand’s?

During the recent local bodies elections Congress party made some remarkable progress and punctured the over-confidences of the ruling Telugu Desam Party. It is to be noted that the political clout in the twin cities will always differ from that of other regions of the state. Telugu Desam, Congress, BJP, MIM, and Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) have their own say in the distinguished parts of the twin cities.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M) had a peanut success in the earlier Baldia election of 1986. The Congress is standing on par with TDP and BJP in the locality. If Congress now really wishes to pull its image and strength ahead, it needs to have support or understanding from the communist duo at least.

It is clear that the central committee of both the Left parties will not nod for the open adjustments with Congress in any part of the country. Strikingly, it should be recalled that Congress and the Communist duo expressed solidarity jointly for the anti-power tariff hike agitation and RTC strike. This gives way to the critics think about an undercover understanding and Lefts to shake ‘hands’ with the Congress for the Baldia elections, may be similar to the one during the local bodies elections.

Friendly rivalry of TDP and BJP

As usual, both the state ruling Telugu Desam Party and the Centre hung heading Bharatiya Janata Party are issuing statements ‘there is no chance for seat-sharing now’ and condemning each other on many lateral issues. The chances are high, again a common phenomenon, to discuss and declare the sharing proportions immediately after the Baldia election notification is announced.

It had become a routine for TDP and BJP to keep their activists and well wishers in the dark. Taking several instances from the 1999 elections to the recent local bodies elections, they continued their habit of confusing the voters and party workers till the last moment and declare the ‘agreement’. This is no more a tension creator, politically now. There is nothing new, if the friendly rivals TDP and BJP take this beaten path now too.

With the past records established by the BJP in the preceding elections in urban limits, observers estimate that the sharing ratio would be 70:30 in favour of TDP. If the BJP tables its success ratio in the earlier elections the equation might go 10 percent higher for BJP i.e., 60:40.

TRS and TSS with Telangana slogan

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Telangana Saadhana Samithi (TSS) are expected to show their original content and mettle in these Baldia elections. Both of them, theoretically, were floated declaring their commitment for achieving separate statehood for Telangana region. In the Telangana region, TRS, which formed first made its impact clear and proved its identity with strength in the local bodies elections. TRS founder K Chandrasekhara Rao made it clear that his move to form TRS was not by mistake.

Later, A Narendra vexed with BJP’s ever changing ideologies plugged himself off from it and floated the new banner TSS. Right from day one after incorporating the TSS, Narendra was clear in his views and actions that he was interested in working with separatists in the region, but for the cause of the statehood of Telangana.

Few separatist movement leaders, on conditions of anonymity, told Hamarashehar.com that Chandrasekhar Rao was poor in responding to the invitations of Narendra.

Cold blooded affairs of MIM

The Majlis Ithehadul Muslimeen (MIM) will not show any movement or statement until the election notification is thrown open. The party under the leadership of Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, prepares all its tools, selects the contestants and canvassing material in a jiffy. Everything in this party is said to be going by the eye-lid movement of its supreme Owaisi.

After all this, the MIM chief inaugurates the campaign introducing candidates to the voters casually. There is a special angle attached to the election process in the old city and specific parts of new city. Muslim religious leaders issue Fatwa deciding on the members of the community to vote MIM or MBT depending on the candidates contesting in the locality. It is a sorry state of affair that Election Commission behaves blindfolded towards issue of Fatwa and imposing religious pressures on the people. It is time to recall that in a Democratic country like India, use (mis-use rather) of religion in the election process is against the Constitution. The Fatwas issued so, also dodge Muslims from voting to any other party other than the one included in the Fatwa stating those who vote against do not belong to the community at all. How sad!

Above all these, it is clear that MIM is having a strong hold in the old city region. One need not take any vibration down their spine, if MIM clinches the Mayor position and majority divisions of the Baldia.

Lok Satta – Election Watch

Lok Satta, a voluntary organisation declared presenting proofs that over 40 percent of the voters list is mess. It stated that according to the survey it had conducted the lists were not updated properly. Lok Satta argues that about 17% of the eligible voters were not included and close to 23% of the ineligible names were not excluded from the voters list.

Lok Satta triggered off a ‘Election Watch’ campaign through which it made public about the lacunae in the current election process and enumeration systems. It did not stop there; it showed ways to correct the blunders and recommended some tips to follow. Some of the suggestions were taken up by the administration and implemented. The Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (Baldia) officials with Lok Satta influence took up a special drive to cleanse the voters’ list from November 16 to 30.

-- Translated by SVL Narasimha Swamy

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