Economic activity bustles during Sankranti festivities

Vijayawada:Sankranti festivities witnessed bustling economic activity in Andhra Pradesh, with over two to three thousand crores reportedly exchanging hands during the traditional cockfights and associated gambling activities.

Despite the ban, cockfights and gambling events continued unabated in the name of Sankranti tradition and culture, mainly in Godavari districts, Konaseema, Krishna, NTR, Guntur and Uttarandhra areas. Huge crowds bet heavily on specially-trained fighter cocks.

An interesting aspect of 2025 Sankranti is the huge increase in number of female spectators in Tadepalligudem and adjoining areas. Special arrangements had been made for VVIPs, VIPs and local representatives at the cockfighting arenas.

In majority areas, photos of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, education minister Nara Lokesh and MPs and MLAs of the areas had been erected prominently. This assured bettors, punters and gamblers about political support to the event. Several political figures, including local representatives, could be seen enthusiastically participating in the illegal sport.

Organisers accepted payments through UPI, while private counters offered cash-for-card transactions, charging a 10 per cent commission. A prominent arena near an apartment complex in Ramavarappadu on the outskirts of Vijayawada, where high-ranked officials and politicians reside, segregated punters based on wager amounts, offering special seating and air-conditioned facilities.

Thousands of enthusiasts, including politicians and celebrities, some from other states, arrived in luxury vehicles to witness and participate in different betting events. Some venues in Godavari districts resembled movie sets, with the installation of digital LED screens for better viewing of all events and stages for live dance performances.

According to reports, people placed bets ranging from thousands to as high as ₹25 lakh for predicting the winner in a cockfight.

Besides cash prizes, Bullet motorcycles and gold ornaments had been on offer at some of the events in Bhimavaram, Veeravasaram, Polavaram and other mandals. Some people received electric scooters as rewards.

Cockfights had been organised day and night from January 13 (Bhogi) to January 15 (Kanuma). Reports indicate that seven large arenas and approximately 50 smaller cockfighting rings had been established in and around Vijayawada. An arena themed after Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Uppuluru drew large crowds.

In Ampapuram of Bapulapadu mandal, an air-conditioned arena with extensive security measures, including iron bars, attracted considerable attention. Punters from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai joined the locals in raising the stakes.