Poll results yet to come, but parties gearing up for swearing-in fete

‘Aalu ledu…sulu ledu…koduku peru Somalingam!’, Goes an adage in Telugu which means… ‘No wife…no pregnancy…but son’s name is Somalingam.’ This proverb in Telugu aptly suits the current political scenario in Andhra Pradesh. Poll results are not out yet. Even exit polls are awaited. No clear wave is seen in favour of any particular party. But, the ruling Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), and its rival Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have fixed the date (9 June) for the swearing-in ceremony.

While the YSRCP plans the swearing-in ceremony to be held on a grand scale in Visakhapatnam, the favourite city of Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, the TDP favours Amaravati, the dream project of the party chief, N Chandrababu Naidu. It is learnt that YSRCP leaders have booked almost all hotel rooms in Visakhapatnam for three days starting from 7 June, with the hope of their leader taking oath for a second term as the Chief Minister. The partymen have reportedly ordered crackers at Sivakasi for celebrations on 9 June.

Even as psephologists say the contest between the two parties is keen and the outcome is unpredictable, both the YSRCP and the TDP are sure of forming the government and making elaborate arrangements for the oath-taking ceremony. The YSRCP, in a tweet, has given a call to the cadre to be ready for celebrations on 9 June, the swearing-in date. Predicting a landslide victory for the YSRCP, its leader Botcha Satyanarayana has asserted: “Our leader, Jaganmohan Reddy, will take oath as the Chief Minister for a second term and we are making arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony in Visakhapatnam on 9 June.”

On the other hand, TDP has leader Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who is seeking election from the Bheemili constituency, has forecast over 160 seats for the TDP-BJP-JSP combine, and the party will form the next government.

Adding confusion to uncertainty, fake exit polls in the name of post-election analysis are flooding social media. Based on it, betting gangs are placing huge amounts on the poll outcome. Meanwhile, elaborate arrangements are being made for the counting of votes on 4 June. In the wake of the poll violence in the Palnadu area, tight security measures are being taken to avoid any untoward incident on the counting day.

The city police have already launched a cordon and search operation to curb any unruly incident ahead of counting on 4 June. During the operation, several vehicles and liquor bottles have been seized, and those moving suspiciously were taken into custody for questioning. All the speculation and predictions will come to an end on 4 June when the counting of votes will be taken up in the State.

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This article is written by Senior Journalist Lakkoju Nagesh Babu.