HYDERABAD: A whopping 20 lakh voters of Seemandhra origin appear all set to fan out to various districts of Andhra Pradesh to cast their votes for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on April 11.
Though one can vote at only one address, there are reports that about 70 per cent of the 30 lakh Seemandhra voters, who settled in Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana, are voters in both states.
AP voters who live in Telangana are concentrated in Assembly segments including Kukatpally, Serilingampally, Jubilee Hills, Khairatabad, Malkajgiri, LB Nagar, Uppal, Quthbullapur, Sanathnagar, Bodhan, Nizamabad (Rural), Bhupalpally, Sirpur Kagaz Nagar, Mulugu, Huzurnagar, Kodad, Miryalaguda, Korutla and segments in the erstwhile Khammam district.
Take for instance Jubilee Hills Assembly segment, where, of about 3.29 lakh voters, there would be around 30,000 to 40,000 Seemandhra voters. The density of Seemandhra voters is high in Kukatpally, Serlingampally and Malkajgiri Assembly segments.
Sources say YSRCP and TDP leaders have already identified the Seemandhra voters in Hyderabad, and are collecting their details to book tickets and hire buses from private agencies, to take them to their native villages for them to vote.
Party leaders are arranging overseers and giving instructions that the voting percentage should be increased in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls, as the victory margin between the TDP and YSRCP was just two per cent in the 2014 elections. Thus, Seemandhra voters are also enthusiastic about casting their votes in Andhra Pradesh.
APSRTC and TRSRTC bus tickets are already booked out from 3 pm on April 10, and commuters who try to book RTC tickets are being wait-listed. Private buses have also been booked out, and no train reservations are available.
Apart from booking tickets, party leaders are allegedly paying each voter Rs 2,000-Rs 5,000, depending on the Assembly segment in Andhra Pradesh.
Even middle class and upper-middle class people are among those heading to AP on April 10. One reason for this is that it coincides with the summer vacation for schools and colleges, so they can spend a few days in their native places after the polls.
As there are simultaneous elections in the Telugu states, Seemandhra voters in Hyderabad seem to be more interested in voting in Andhra Pradesh, as the political battle there has intensified. Owing to the fierce competition between YSRCP and TDP, the voters are more inclined to cast their votes in their home towns for Assembly elections, rather than participating in Lok Sabha elections in Telangana, where the battle appears to be one-sided.
If the Seemandhra voters leave for their hometowns en masse, it would have an adverse impact on the voting percentage in Telangana Lok Sabha polls. The Seemandhra voters in Hyderabad either vote for the TRS or the Congress in Telangana. If they leave the state on polling day, it will affect both the ruling and the Opposition parties.
“The AP leaders are hiring buses and other means of transportation for Andhra voters in my segment. Around 4,000 to 5,000 voters may not vote this time in Lok Sabha elections here. It may impact on our voting share,” a TRS MLA in Hyderabad told Express.
Several TRS MLAs observed that the Seemandhra voters were interested to go their hometowns to participate in Assembly elections there. In areas, where AP voters are present, the Congress LS candidates may suffer. They said that in each Greater Hyderabad Assembly segment, about 2,000 to 3,000 votes will be lost.
When contacted, Sri Vihaan Travels, agent, K Deepak said, “Passengers are in a hurry to book tickets ahead of elections in AP”. He added that most of them are booking tickets to Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, and Anantapur.
WAIT LIST IN RTC
Both the APSRTC and TSRTC are running daily services to all the important cities and towns in AP. However, their websites stated on Wednesday that on April 10 from 3 pm onwards, all the buses are full and only waiting list is available. On APSRTC website, on Hyderabad-Vijayawada route around 160 buses are full after 3 pm on April 10, as the voters have decided to participate in voting on the following day. The same is the case with Eluru, Rajahmundry and other places. If a genuine traveller from Hyderabad to any city in AP, in case of emergency to go to AP, he/she might face trouble on April 10.
RTC TO RUN SPECIAL BUSES
Meanwhile, the RTC officials told Express that they would provide special buses in case there was still demand for tickets to Vijayawada and other places on April 10. However, the fares in the special buses will be higher naturally and the leaders of YSRCP and TDP are ready to bear them anyway.
TWO VOTES!
It may be recalled that Telangana went in for early polls in December 2018. Thus, most of the Seemandhra voters, had cast their votes in TS Assembly polls too.
WHAT THE EC SAYS
As per the FAQs on the website of Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana:
I have shifted my residence recently to Telangana from another State where I was registered as a voter. I have an I Card issued from the previous place of residence. How can I get a new I Card at the present place of address and what will I do with the old I Card?
Please get your name deleted from the previous address, which will facilitate your registration in AP. After that please get enrolled by filling Form-6 and depositing the same along with the proof of deletion in the office of SDM/MRO. Your address can be changed on the back side of the Card and the same card will remain valid.
If I am working and living in Telangana, can I be a voter in my native village?
No. If you are working in Telangana and residing there, you are an ordinary resident of Telangana in terms of Sec 19(b). Therefore you can be enrolled at Telangana only and not in your native village.
Can one be enrolled at more than one place?
No. A person cannot be enrolled as a voter in more than one place in the same constituency in view of Sec. 17 and 18 of RP Act, 1950.