The ongoing protests against candidates of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in villages during their election campaign has made the party leadership sit up and take remedial steps by appointing ‘micro observers’.
About 30 to 40 micro observers are said to have been appointed in each village to give inputs to the leadership here by teleconference, WhatsApp and social media the public pulse and the identity of trouble-mongers. Senior leaders will meet the troublemakers individually on the basis of the list furnished by the observers, sources said.
Vehicles stopped
The TRS candidates have faced hostile crowds in several constituencies. In fact, former Deputy Speaker Padma Devender Reddy had to cancel her balance of tour on the advice of police when she was confronted by angry youth at Shivayipalli in Medak mandal on Wednesday. The situation was so bad that the vehicles of candidates were stopped even before they entered villages and they were rained with questions on their contribution to habitations in the four-and-a-half years.
The convoy of ex-MLA and candidate for Shadnagar constituency Y. Anjaiah was attacked and posters torn.
Taking note of the resentment against the party, its leadership took up an inquiry whether it was a spontaneous reaction of the public or being instigated by Opposition parties.
The party also decided to deploy its grassroots level cadre by designating them as micro observers to do the trouble-shooting. It was earlier contemplated by the party to use their services only for campaign.
Meeting beneficiaries
The observers were reportedly told to meet every voter at booth level to know what they felt about elections.
Further, they should meet beneficiaries of government schemes on a daily basis and urge them to give the TRS another chance to enable caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao serve them better.
They will keep a watch on the activities of rival parties and report the same to senior leaders.
Alliance partners
However, the Congress and its alliance partners had not hit the road like the TRS because their candidates were not yet announced.
The TRS released its list of 105 candidates on September 6, since when they started visiting villages.