The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is of the view that the row over the volunteer system allegedly raked by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its allies has helped it consolidate its vote base.
Voters, who are neutral and have second thoughts over casting their votes either for the TDP or the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), have now shifted to the ruling YSRCP, claims its State general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy.
“Barring the ward and village volunteers from disbursing welfare benefits has boomeranged on the TDP. The TDP and its allies have been caught on the wrong foot, and hence are demanding door delivery of pensions. They have even knocked on the door of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The pensioners are up in arms against the TDP and its allies,” Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy told The Hindu.
Now, the pensioners were worried over the prospects of the Janmabhoomi committees making a come back if the TDP was voted to power, he added.
Before the row over the volunteer system, the YSRCP had to focus its energies on constituencies where a swing of a mere 2-5% was expected. “Now, the electoral prospects in such constituencies has improved. The YSRCP will retain its present strength of 151 seats,” Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy asserted.
“Why will the YSRCP depend on the volunteers knowing well that the system will come under the Election Commission scanner. The party has also developed the system of Gruha Sarathis. A minimum of two Gruha Sarathis are working for every 50 families in the State, which hitherto were under one volunteer. Similarly, the booth-level committees have been strengthened. At least 10 party workers will be in each booth-level committee,” he said.
The YSRCP leader ridiculed the claims of the TDP-BJP-JSP combine that the volunteers would influence the voters. “They have missed a simple logic. The volunteers have been working for the last more than four to take the welfare schemes to the doorstep of the people. The government has implemented the welfare schemes in saturation mode. Where is the need for volunteers if there are no welfare schemes?” he asked.
Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy rubbished the “baseless allegations” levelled by the TDP and JSP against the volunteer system.
