Congress makes candidates sign ‘loyalty bonds’ in Khammam

KHAMMAM: In a desperate attempt to ensure that all their candidates ‘stay loyal to the party’ after getting elected as corporators in the Khammam Municipal Corporation, the Congress party has made all of them sign bonds of allegiance that will stop them from defecting to other parties.

The bonds, which have been made on stamp papers worth Rs 100, will be kept at the party’s district office. Of the total 60 divisions, the party has fielded candidates in 49 divisions.It may be recalled that four Congress MLAs, out of the total six who won in the 2018 Assembly polls, had switched loyalties to the pink party, soon after the elections. 

According to sources, only those persons who signed bonds were allotted tickets by the party leadership. 
Meanwhile, when Express interacted with one of the contesting candidates, he said that signing a piece of plain stamp paper won’t affect them if they put their foot down and decided to join another party. 

In the meantime, two days ahead of the polls, both the pink and grand old parties have started luring voters by distributing money. According to sources, while the TRS leaders are purchasing votes by paying Rs 1,500, Congress contestants are doing the same by paying Rs 1,000. Some voters told Express that “the ruling party is always a step ahead of others when it comes to purchasing votes”.