Telangana: Spoiler in Lok Sabha elections? 60 little-known parties are in fray to make a point

HYDERABAD: Several little-known parties are in the fray in the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana. One may not have even heard of these political parties, but candidates from these parties are fighting it out alongside those of big parties because they have a point to make. But the first big win for them is to overcome hurdles to file their nominations.
Aila Prasanna, 56, has filed nomination from Karimnagar LS seat as a candidate of Anti Corruption Dynamic Party, started by former chief justice of Calcutta High Court C S Karnan in May 2018.Prasanna has been into social work for the last 20 years and her husband is a daily wage earner. “We are poor. We cannot spend money on elections. But I want to make a difference. There is so much of discrimination against women in society,” Prasanna said. “Except for paying the deposit amount, I will not be able to spend any money and will not. After all, our party is against corruption. We want clean politics,” Prasanna said.
Dornala Jaya Prakash, a resident of Saidabad, has filed his nomination for both Secunderabad and Hyderabad Lok Saba seats as a candidate of New India Party. In the assembly elections in December 2018, Jaya Prakash had a bitter experience when he contested the LB Nagar seat. “I just got 150 votes,” the 35-year-old said.
The aspirants are not ignorant about their chances in the elections. “Victory is a different matter but being in the contest is important,” said Chiluka Sanjeeviah. The 45-year-old from Kukatpally, who is a candidate of the Telangana Pragathi Samithi Party, said the party has fielded candidates from Malkajgiri and Secunderabad as well.
Nalla Prem Kumar, 47, of Chevella, is in the fray as there was no bus connectivity in most villages in the constituency. His party, ‘Prem Janata Dal’, hopes to make an impact in Chevella LS constituency. “I am aware of how the big political parties function, but I will approach the voters door-to-door seeking their votes,” he said.
Candidates from at least 60 parties, including Pyramid Party of India, Shramajeevi Party, India Praja Bandhu Party, were in the fray for the April 11 poll.