Warangal/Karimnagar: Various political leaders are adopting novel methods to lure voters. Apart from giving gifts, money etc to the voters directly, they are holding medical camps, job melas and cricket tournaments in the run-up to the assembly polls.
There are also leaders conducting mass marriages on the behalf of the foundations run by their family members. They hand over cheques to the beneficiaries under various schemes by visiting their houses and distribute sports kits to youths in erstwhile Warangal and Karimnagar districts.
Some of the leaders are also after the dead bodies. In the name of paying tributes to the bereaved family members, these leaders are visiting their houses and handing over money to the family members for the final rites.
In Mahabubabad district, a job mela was conducted on Monday to lure unemployed youths under the Suryachandra Charitable Trust run by the family members of BRS party MLA Shankar Naik.
In Karimnagar district, BC welfare minister Gangula Kamalakar distributed cheques under the Gruha Laxmi scheme to several families by visiting their houses. He also distributed sports kits to youths styling these as ‘KCR sports kits’ at an event held in the city.
In recent days, the Errabelli Dayakarrao Charitable Trust headed by the family members of the Panchayat Raj minister Dayakar are conducting mega job melas across Palakurthy constituency to lure the unemployed youths and their family members.
Two organisations – the Prathima Foundation headed by Vikas Rao who recently joined the BJP and the Chalmeda Anand Rao Institute of Medical Sciences (CAIMS) run by BRS party MLA candidate Laxminarasimha Rao had been conducting a series of medical camps across villages in Vemulawada assembly segment and providing free medical services to lure the voters.
Peddapalli Zilla Parishad chairperson and BRS candidate of the Manthani assembly segment, Putta Madhukar, who runs a foundation in the name of Putta Lingamma Charitable Trust, is conducting cricket tournaments. He arranged a chariot in the name of Vykunta Ratham and is holding mass marriages and annadhana programmes.
Reports in the social media are that an MLA candidate in Manthani constituency has allotted Rs 30 lakh each to his associates in ten mandals (total Rs 3crore) and asked them to purchase liquor bottles beforehand, store it, and distribute these to voters at the time of elections.
