Kurnool: With election results only a couple of days away, betting over the winning and losing candidates has peaked in Kurnool and Nandyal districts.
According to sources, people linked to different political parties are organising betting involving large sums of money. Most of the betting is revolving around the prospects of YSR Congress party winning again in the 2024 assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
In Mantralayam constituency, a farmer Mantri Singanna’s post on social media betting two acres of his land worth ₹50 lakh contending that the Telugu Desam candidate will win has gone viral.
Singanna’s offer is in response to a ₹20 lakh bet by Kosigi ZPTC member Mangamma favouring the victory of sitting YSRC MLA Y. Bala Nagi Reddy.
It is said bets worth ₹20–30 crore are riding on YSRC victory in Nandyal town, which has emerged as a hub of betting activities. Punters are offering crores on YSRC winning all the eight assembly seats in the district.
In Kurnool city, however, betting is focused on Telugu Desam candidate's prospects this time around. The district had previously been a YSR Congress stronghold and the ruling party had swept all 14 constituencies in 2019 in the combined Kurnool district.
A resident K. Ranganna from the Y-Junction area says lured by the prospects of profits if their projected party wins, people are even taking loans to bet on both the YSRC and opposition TD-JS-BJP alliance. However, they risk losing the entire amount and incurring debts if they lost their bet.
According to analysts, betting activity has become more prominent as there has been a wide gap between voting (May 13) and vote counting (June 4). There have also been speculations of both the ruling and opposition parties winning the 2024 polls.
