Hyderabad: Welcome to the wild, wild west of Andhra Pradesh electioneering, where the only rule is that there are no rules — at least, not the ones set by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The rules of engagement in election campaigns are crystal clear, or so they say. Despite the ECI’s valiant efforts to drum them into the heads of political parties, it seems like some candidates and their cohorts are determined to march to the beat of their own drum, ignoring the model code of conduct (MCC).
In most cases, going by the repeated violations of the MCC provisions, it appears that parties and their candidates are like truant children, who do exactly the opposite of what they are told.
Take the case of Sk Asif, YSRC candidate from Vijayawada West, who decided to make a grand entrance to file his nomination — on horseback! The poll panel’s memo about the ban on displaying animals in roadshows didn't make it to his mailbox. But he's not alone in this equestrian escapade; followers have been spotted galloping alongside on camels and horses, turning rallies into impromptu petting zoos.
The 13-page MCC for campaigning could be a steeplechase for most candidates and among its provisions is one that says “display of animals in roadshows is totally banned.”
The air is thick with the sound of high-decibel speakers as prominent leaders like Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy, N. Chandrababu Naidu, and Pawan Kalyan lead their own campaigns. Roadshows block the entire road, oversized flags billow in the wind, and convoys defy the laws of traffic physics.
The AP Chief Minister's Memantha Siddham Bus Yatra might as well be a victory lap for the audacious occupier of the entire one-way of road. Naidu's Praja Galam public meetings are so electrifying, you might need sunglasses to shield yourself from the glaring lights and ear plugs to save from thunderous noise.
The scenes captured in the videos of actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, as he went to file his nomination, resembled something out of a movie's pre-climax chase sequence. His followers, accompanying him in a massive bike rally, were observed zooming recklessly on both sides of the road, while the Jana Sena chief stood from the sunroof, waving at his supporters.
Amidst this cinematic spectacle, the ECI's regulations stating that "all bigger convoys exceeding 10 vehicles shall be broken after every 10 vehicles, and a gap of 100 metres would be maintained" appeared to have been tossed aside like yesterday's newspaper.
In AP, it appears that the leaders have conveniently overlooked the ECI's guidelines on maintaining decorum during election campaigns, specifically the section that prohibits criticism of aspects of private life not connected with the public life of leaders or workers of other parties.
As for the ECI's meticulously crafted norms on firecrackers, loudspeakers, and campaign vehicle designs, etc., seems like a bygone era, lost to the winds of political defiance in Andhra Pradesh
