Munugode bypolls put financial strain on ministers, MLAs

HYDERABAD: With the Munugode Assembly constituency by-election slated for November 3, TRS leaders, ministers and MLAs, seem to be under a lot of pressure. One of the biggest concerns for the ministers and MLAs is money.

There is a debate taking place in TRS circles about how the bypoll has placed a significant financial burden on ministers and MLAs, in contrast to previous bypolls in Huzurnagar, Dubbak, Nagarjunasagar, and Huzurabad, where the expenditure was borne by the party and the contesting candidate.

The TRS leadership has appointed 14 ministers and 86 MLAs as incharges to cover every village, mandal, and municipality in the constituency, and they have been camping since October 6. Every minister and MLA are accompanied by 30 to 50 workers each from their respective constituencies.

These leaders are bearing the expenditure being incurred on party workers towards food, accommodation and transportation besides their own expenses. They have rented houses, hotels and lodges in the constituency and in neighbouring constituencies for the party workers.

The expenditure has gone up even further with TRS leaders vying with each other to secure a larger majority to curry favour with the leadership, amid fear that the party may deny tickets for the 2023 Assembly polls if they failed to meet the target. TRS leaders said the Munugode bypoll was the first election where all top leaders were spending so heavily.

Each minister and MLA have been made incharge of 2,000 to 3,500 voters. They are walking door to door and holding roadshows to meet voters. In an effort to secure a larger majority, the party workers are subsequently visiting the voters again to provide money and set up parties with alcohol and food.

TRS leaders claim that since October 6, they have spent lakhs of rupees for luring voters, and that by November 1 — the penultimate day of the campaign — their expenditure will have reached a few crores. All these leaders are eagerly waiting for November 1 when they have to vacate Munugode constituency as per the Election Commission norms and be relieved from poll expenditure.