Andhra Pradesh elections: Parties field businessmen, Lok Sabha no allure for leaders

AMARAVATI: In what could be a new trend, political parties found it extremely difficult to identify candidates for Lok Sabha elections. Although both TDP and YSRC announced candidates for all the 25 constituencies in Andhra Pradesh, the process of selection was not smooth.

The parties forced some candidates to remain in the fray with a promise to extend full support when they failed to identify suitable leaders for the contest.Even senior leaders who spent over three decades in public life are keen only on contesting to state polls.

“This is clearly a new trend where the leaders have lost interest in contesting Lok Sabha elections. This does not augur well for democracy as we need strong voices in Parliament to discuss national and international issues apart from constituency affairs,” said professor DAR Subramanyam.
According to analysts, the entry of business tycoons and industrialists has made elections an expensive affair and kept intellectuals away from the political arena. Till recently, parties used to spare a few seats for industrialists and encourage senior leaders from within the party to go to Parliament to reflect the party’s stand on various issues.
But the situation has changed in 2019 as even industrialists are reluctant to take the political plunge. “The power centred around the MLAs has made MPs dummies without a say in any development activity in their constituencies. They have no role to play either in Parliament or in the constituency,” said a senior TDP leader. He said an MP could not even get one of his followers appointed as market yard chief or a temple committee chief making the post unattractive.
Sources said that a legislator is believed to have forced officials not to ready even estimates on the proposal sent by the MP to take up works with MPLADs. “Many works that were recommended by me without consulting local MLAs were stalled,” said an MP on the condition of anonymity. He said since the state government was giving high priority to MLAs, panchayats and municipalities have a minimal role in development projects.
Comparing this year’s Holi to last year, representatives of another travel firm Booking.com revealed that the fastest growing destinations are Lonavala, Darjeeling, Tirupati, Ooty, Vrindavan, Gangtok, Puri, Pune, Tiruvannamalai and Shirdi. Citizens are attracted by sightseeing, shopping, local food and most importantly, culture at these spots.
Those who are deciding to stay back in the city are not losing out on the fun either. Several Holi bashes are being organised in and around Hyderabad, from morning to late evening. Chance to enjoy live music and food while celebrating the festival of colours with loved ones is attracting people from all generations to these bashes.
“Initially, I was planning to go out of the city to celebrate Holi with friends. But due to shortage in time, we decided to visit a bash in a resort located in the outskirts of the city. Some of these bashes are offering corporate discounts too,” said Sai Chand K, an IT sector employee.