Hyderabad: Sulking TRS workers who were stripped of seats or not happy with the candidates’ list were gifted Royal Enfield bikes to pacify them and ensure that they work for the party. Young cadre and close confidants of candidates were reportedly gifted with the Enfield bikes.
Even in political circles, there has been a discussion on distribution of two-wheelers of a particular brand. The move is not restricted to bikes alone; most parties are offering sops to encourage party workers to put in their fullest effort for campaigning. Evidently, being the party in power has an added advantage in distribution of sops and ruling party workers are enjoying the benefits.
While all other two-wheelers including Honda, Hero and Bajaj haven’t seen sales rising like in earlier years, Enfield has been selling better than last year in the state. An executive of Enfield confirmed that the sale of bikes in Telangana state was far better than last year.
Experts said that the overall sale of two-wheelers has declined due to lack of liquid cash with middle-class families and farmers who buy vehicles in the festive season.
An expert said, “Royal Enfield’s percentage share of market is less when compared to other vehicles, so even a large increase in sales can be overlooked. Cash for sale of two-wheelers comes from villages, but now there is a dearth of cash. There is only natural growth but not excess growth like in previous years as purchasing capacity has become limited.”
An expert pointed out that there were reports of distribution of Enfield bikes during Nandyal by-elections in Andhra Pradesh in 2017. Evidently, the sales of Enfield can easily go unnoticed due to the small segment of youngsters to whom it caters. Further, since the purchasing capacity is limited, the distribution of Enfield raises eyebrows.
When alerted, a senior official from the Election Commission said that they did not look at sales of private vehicles. The official added, “If they are used for electioneering purpose, permission will be given by the returning officer. We have not received any complaints on such distribution either.”
