Telangana polls: Small parties, independents may emerge as spoilsports

ADILABAD: Many unpopular candidates from small political parties and independents may play spoilsport in the winning prospects of major political party leaders in the upcoming elections. The social networking sites have come in handy for free publicity for those who want to contest as independent candidates.
In 2009 elections, Congress' Mesram Nagorao was defeated with a margin of only 800 votes by his rival and TD candidate Suman Rathod in Khanapur Assembly constituency after Adivasi candidate Seetha Devi entered the fray with Mana Party ticket and bagged more than 3,000 votes.

Koneru Konappa and Allola Indrakaran Reddy had contested with BSP ticket from Sirpur (T) and Nirmal respectively and won the elections against their nearest rivals, the TRS and the Congress, in 2014 elections. They later joined the TRS.    There is also a trend of major political party candidates pitting independent candidates from their rivals' community to split the votes.        Many candidates including doctors, government employees and social workers are showing interest to contest even as independent candidates if they were not given party ticket. 

The list of the independent candidates is also expected to be longer this Assembly elections.  For all them, social networking sites Facebook and Whatapp have come in handy for publicity and reaching out to people without much investment unlike in the past. People who wish to contest the elections as independents are now posting messages seeking support and blessings from the people. Some of them are also installing flexies seeking votes. Even in the Assembly constituencies reserved for SCs and STs in the Old Adilabad district, there is tough competition for the party tickets. 

Two female leaders, Charulatha Rathod and Bukhya Janaki, who joined the Congress party on the same day in the presence of TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy recently, are aspiring for ticket from Khanapur Assembly constituency.  News is making rounds in the political circles that Maheshwar Reddy was threatening to resign from the post of the convenor Congress bus yatra to pressurise the party to promoting his own candidates.