Dust from the hustle-bustle of campaigning for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections 2019 has settled and candidates of all political parties, after catching up with lost sleep, have made up their plans in their unique way for the remaining 38 days before counting is taken up on May 23.
The large gap between polling date and counting date might have turned the voters and psephologists tense and left gasping for breath unable to answer the perennial question from the people — “Who will win? Which party will get how many seats?” — candidates are very confident of their victory and spending time on their terms. A bouquet of so-called surveys being circulated on social media is providing them some fun.
Young and fun-loving J.C. Pavan Reddy, TDP candidate from the Anantapur Parliamentary Constituency, is heading for London and from there to Bhutan to spend some leisure time with family members before the tense moments of counting and declaration of the winner gets on to his nerves.
Mr. Pavan Reddy’s key opponent, Talari Rangaiah, says he does not plan to go out of the constituency anywhere and has been touring villages and catching up with people whom he could not meet as part of his personal commitments. Thanking voters will be his routine for the next one month, he adds. “I do not have a passport too,” quips Mr. Rangaiah.
Another young Mass Communications graduate and ruling party candidate from Singanamala (SC) constituency Bandaru Sravani, in contrast, has headed to Sri Rama temple to pay obeisance to Lord Rama on Sri Rama Navami and will return to her constituency on April 20 to further chalk out her programme.
Singanamala constituency YSR Congress Party candidate Jonnalagadda Padmavathi along with her husband Aluru Sambasiva Reddy had been touring all the villages and hamlets in the constituency that they might have missed in the last two months. “I wish to thank voters for coming out in large numbers for voting and supporting my campaign,” says Ms. Padmavathi. The people, who stood solidly behind us believing in my capability to deliver, need to be appreciated, she adds. During this entire period she intends to be among the people every single day till May 23
Anantapur Urban Assembly constituency TDP and YSRCP candidates Vaikuntam Prabhakar Chowdary and Anantha Venkatarami Reddy made short visits to Hyderabad to attend to their personal commitments. “It’s back to routine, and I need to catch up with my pending work during this peaceful interval,” Mr. Prabhakar Chowdary told The Hindu.