Telangana politics are intensifying as the elections approach, with all political parties deeply involved in their poll strategies. A tough fight is predicted between BRS and Congress, and the division of votes by other parties or candidates will have a significant impact. This division could potentially reverse the results, but the question is which party will benefit from it and which party will suffer losses. In the 2018 assembly elections, BRS secured 88 seats.
However, KCR raised a complaint that symbols like Truck, Road Roller, Roti Roller, and similar symbols had split their votes, resulting in a loss of seats that should have been in their favor. Now, the same concern is haunting BRS as the election commission has allocated these symbols to candidates in the upcoming elections as well.
The Supreme Court on Friday (October 20) refused to entertain the petitions filed by political party BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India(ECI) to allot to other political parties symbols, which BRS claimed, were “deceptively similar” to its symbol (Car). The Supreme court said, “Indian voters can distinguish between car, road roller & chapati rollers”.
The Supreme Court on Friday (October 20) refused to entertain the petitions filed by political party BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India(ECI) to allot to other political parties symbols, which BRS claimed, were "deceptively… pic.twitter.com/RZqTlSTchi
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) October 20, 2023
Similar symbols caused big damage to BRS in 2018
ECI allocated truck symbols to 58 candidates, including the SFB party and independents, in 2018 assembly elections. Across Telangana, the SFB party secured 2 lakh votes. BRS claims that these votes should be added to their candidates. The truck symbol, resembling the car symbol of BRS, had a significant impact in constituencies like Nakrekal and Tandur. In Nakrekal, SFB candidate Dubba Ravi Kumar gained 10,383 votes, while BRS MLA candidate Vemula Veeresham lost to Congress candidate Chirumarthi Lingaiah by a margin of 8,259 votes. In Tandur, BRS candidate Patnam Mahender Reddy lost to Congress candidate Pilot Rohit Reddy by a margin of 2,875 votes. The SFB candidate with the truck symbol split 10,548 votes, and an independent candidate who contested with the Road Roller symbol split 639 votes.
In Sangareddy, independent candidate Police Ramchander secured 4,140 votes, while BRS candidate Chinta Prabhakar lost to Congress candidate Jaggareddy by a narrow margin of 2,589 votes. Surprisingly, in 21 places, candidates with the truck symbol secured third place in the elections. Particularly in SC reserved constituencies like Manakondur, Dharmapuri, Bellampally, including the General seat Kamareddy, candidates with the truck symbol received more than 10,000 votes. In Dharmapuri, BRS candidate Koppula Eshwar secured victory with a narrow margin of 441 votes.
In Amberpet, the candidate representing the truck symbol secured 1,052 votes, while the BRS party candidate emerged victorious with a narrow margin of 1052 votes. Similarly, in the SC reserved constituency of Tungaturthy, the candidate affiliated with the truck symbol received 3,729 votes, but BRS candidate Gadari Kishore clinched the win with a margin of 1,867 votes. In the Kodad constituency, BRS candidate Bollam Mallaiah Yadav secured victory with a majority of 1,556 votes, while the truck symbol candidate garnered 5,240 votes.
During the 2021 Dubbak by-election, BRS candidate Solipeta Sujatha Reddy was narrowly defeated by BJP candidate Madhavaneni Raghunandan Rao, with a slim margin of 1,079 votes. An independent candidate, Bandaru Nagaraju, who ran with the Chapathi Roller symbol, garnered 3,570 votes in the same election.
Kanti Velugu for senior citizens to distinguish between similar symbols!
In August 2018, the Kanti Velugu scheme was launched by the KCR government, six months ahead of the then-pre-election period. In January of this year, the BRS government initiated the second phase of Kanti Velugu. Some argue that the government conducts Kanti Velugu camps before elections to secure votes from older individuals by improving their vision. The intention is to enable them to clearly discern the differences between the Road Roller, Truck, and Car symbols. However, the government has dismissed this criticism, countering opposition claims by stating that they are merely engaging in political maneuvers.
According to government reports, a total of Rs.250 crore was allocated for second phase Kanti Velugu program, a 100-day program across the state, with an expected benefit for 50-60 lakh people.
Congress is worrying about the BSP factor
In the upcoming elections, analysts predict that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) might make a significant impact, potentially dividing crucial votes. If these divided votes represent anti-incumbency sentiment against the government, it could adversely affect the Congress party. Discussions in political circles suggest that candidates from major political parties in certain segments are approaching the BSP to reconsider their nominations. Analysts anticipate that in constituencies such as Sirpur, Peddapalli, Vemulawada, and Suryapet, the BSP may have a noticeable impact this time. As the BRS is concerned about the similar symbols of cars, the Congress party is currently worried about the influence of the BSP factor, which can split anti-incumbency votes.
