Residents slam door on politicos flouting Covid norms

WARANGAL/ KHAMMAM: With Warangal city witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases, residents of several apartments and gated communities are not allowing political leaders and candidates, who are on a campaign trail ahead of the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) polls, to enter their premises. A few apartments have even locked their entrance gates and instructed security guards not to allow people inside.

Speaking to Express, a security guard from Sri Lakshmi Apartments in Hanamkonda said that the apartment committee strictly instructed him not to allow any political leaders inside the apartment complex. He also said that they instructed him to hand over the committee’s contact numbers to candidates so that they could talk over the phone. 

Even though the State Election Commission (SEC) had already issued orders on Covid protocols during the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections — including mandatory wearing of face masks and maintaining social distance during election-related activities — hundreds of TRS, BJP and Congress supporters have been flouting the rules. Many were seen conducting meetings in function halls without maintaining social distance or distributing face masks to the public.

Even in Khammam, political parties have been violating Covid-19 norms for the Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) polls by holding road shows and participating in door-to-door campaigning. Health officials warn that party supporters participating in the campaign will most likely become virus carriers and spread it to others.

Road shows and mass campaigns in colonies by all political parties is spreading panic among voters, said K Ramadevi, a resident of Division 39. “The municipal elections have become a threat to our lives as hundreds of persons are coming to our houses and calling on us for votes,” said M Ramanamurthy, a resident of Division 19. Many have appealed to the government to postpone the elections. 

K Nageswar, a TRS activist, said that many active party workers were refusing to coming out for campaigning. “Therefore, we have had to engage daily labourers for campaigning by paying them `200 and giving them one meal a day,” he added. He claimed that only important leaders and candidates were participating in the campaign. 

NO DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGN BY TRS, SAYS ERRABELLI
Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao on Friday said that candidates were refraining from door-to-door campaigning due to the surge in Covid cases and appealed to the public to elect the TRS to power once again in GWMC elections. He asked citizens not to consider the party candidates but the party leadership. Speaking to the media in Hanamkonda, Dayakar Rao said that the TRS government was taking all precautions to fight the virus and that the BJP and Congress were spreading false propaganda in social media. He also said that the Central government was responsible for deaths due to lack of oxygen