AP parties must exercise restraint

Elections to local bodies are just round the corner in Andhra Pradesh and the mammoth pre-poll exercise already underway has led to stray incidents of violence amid heightened tension between the ruling and opposition parties. This is quite common in any election but this time, things are a bit different with the state government bringing in a new ordinance to curb the flow of cash and liquor. 

The AP Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, not only provides for disqualification if candidates are found guilty of bribing voters with liquor or cash but also imprisonment of up to three years. Simultaneously, the government has launched a mobile app, Nigha, to enable voters to lodge complaints. The twin steps, given the intense rivalry between the ruling YSRC and the opposition TDP, expectedly raised the hackles of the latter, with one senior leader of the party going to the extent of wondering in public how anyone could win elections without offering drinks and cash! To be fair, he has merely aired a fundamental problem which is the conviction among his ilk that voters can be won over, not with the promise of better governance, but with the time-tested package of alcohol and money.

This mindset in turn makes the opposition parties believe that the YSRC is hell-bent on intimidating them out of contention.The YSRC has not exactly covered itself in glory either. While the government is making all the right noises to ensure a free and fair election, the party cadres are flexing muscles at places to take on their equally aggressive TDP counterparts. The attack on TDP leaders at Macherla the other day is a case in point. Under the circumstances, the police have been at the receiving end of the stick. Yes, it is their duty to facilitate free and fair polls, but is it not the duty of the political parties to keep their workers and leaders under control? All the parties need to exercise restraint and respect the law for a democracy to thrive. Ultimately, as history has shown numerous times, by and large, voters vote wisely.