What impact does a comparatively longer period of wait for the result of an election have on candidates? Even seasoned politicians can display higher levels of anxiety if the wait stretches to over 40 days, as in the case of the Lok Sabha elections.
The initial waiting period, following polling on April 11, was evidently spent by all the candidates in making calculations about votes expected to have been polled by them. The calculations were done in consultation with elections managers as well as in their mind over some sleepless nights, as revealed by close aides of all the three candidates belonging to the main political parties.
The candidates to Adilabad MP seat — sitting MP G. Nagesh of Telangana Rashtra Samiti, Ramesh Rathod of Congress, a former MP himself, and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Soyam Bapu Rao, a former MLA who has lost last two consecutive Assembly elections from Boath (ST) constituency — are displaying different moods over the waiting period. All of them have been moving around the constituency campaigning for party candidates in the Zilla Parishad elections, meeting people during weddings and religious affairs too and discussing their prospects.
“Their mood during such interactions is betraying their anxiety over what is in store in the near future,” opined a supporter of Congress party. “Mr. Nagesh is reported to have warned voters at Pittabongaram village in Indervelli mandal of discontinuing all welfare benefits to the village if he does not get majority votes,” the Congressman pointed out contending that such behaviour betrays desperation.
Mr. Bapu Rao, on the other hand, seems to be in a different mood which is diametrically opposite to that of the TRS candidate. At a ZP election meeting at Keslapur on May 12, he promised to make the going tough for TRS soon as he would not only win the election, but would be inducted in the Union Cabinet as BJP would return to power at the Centre.
The Congress candidate has also campaigned for party candidates in the ZP elections, but he has maintained his cool when compared to the other two. Mr. Rathod has indulged only in regular criticism of the other parties while exuding confidence of his victory when the votes are counted.