As the temperature soars above 45° Celsius for nearly a week, the fervour of the election campaign in Warangal seems to have fizzled out, with key local leaders of major parties maintaining a noticeable distance from the ongoing poll campaign. Amidst this, the party rank and file exhibit a palpable disinterest in attending campaign meetings, attributing their absence to the relentless summer heat.
The absence of prominent leaders has left a void in the campaign landscape, further exacerbated by the novelty of the contesting candidates, who are relatively not familiar to the party cadre. Dr. Kadiyam Kavya of the Congress and Aroori Ramesh from the BJP struggled to garner the necessary support from party activists as they joined these parties just before the elections. In view of this, both candidates find themselves banking on old acquaintances from their previous political affiliations for backing.
Marepally Sudheer Kumar, the BRS candidate, is reportedly not active due to different reasons, further dimming the vibrancy of the campaign. The lack of engagement from both the public and party cadre is a clear indicator of the prevailing apathy towards the electoral process.
A former professor from Kakatiya University, Warangal, aptly captures the sentiment prevailing among the populace, noting the decision shaped by the media, mainly social media, and the disinterest stemming from the relentless heatwave. The public, it seems, has already made up its mind, rendering the traditional campaign rallies seemingly redundant.
The aftermath of the Assembly elections held in November last year continues to linger, with a notable decline in public engagement observed in the current campaign cycle.
In a peculiar turn of events, it appears that only the ‘paid workers’ are present at campaign meetings, raising questions about the authenticity of the engagement witnessed.
