Candidates for the May 29th by-elections in Andhra are finding out they are up against not only their political opponents but also the gods.
An annual pilgrimage is coinciding with May 29 election date
HYDERABAD: Candidates for the May 29th by-elections in Andhra are finding out they are up against not only their political opponents but also the gods.
Faced with the prospect of losing out lakhs of voters who are undergoing a 41-day deeksha (penance) to monkey god Lord Anjaneya that culminates on Hanuman Jayanthi on May 30 with a trek to various pilgrim centres, contestants cutting across party lines are wooing devotees in a bid to persuade them to stay back to exercise their vote.
Not surprisingly, many campaign managers are organising pujas, erecting pandals and conducting feeding sessions to win over the devotees and some are even promising free bus rides to the pilgrim centres.
The Hanuman devotees, who practice deeksha similar to Ayyappa devotees, number over four lakhs in the Telangana districts that are going to the polls. This is the main concern of campaign managers and candidates who are trying to stall the pilgrimage by the devotees who usually set out at least a day or two ahead of the Jayanthi.
“We are organising special buses to take them to the pilgrim centres in time to complete the deeksha. We are also contributing for the special pujas, bhajans and prasadam every evening in congregations where their number is large,” said Manoj Kumar a campaign manager of the TRS candidate for Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat, K Chandrasekhar Rao.
According to campaign managers, most devotees visit the Bhadrachalam (Khammam), Vijayawada (Krishna) and the Kondagattu pilgrim town in Karimnagar district. A village-wise survey shows a minimum of 25,000 to 50,000 voters in each of the key assembly and parliament segments in Karimnagar, Adilabad, Medak and Ranga Reddy districts are on deeksha.
“At least 50% of the devotees undertake a padayatra to the pilgrim centres and that is our worry. They leave at least two days ahead of Hanuman Janayanti which falls on May 30,” said Rajender Reddy, the campaign manager of Congress candidate Jeevan Reddy.
Bhoga Srinivas, secretary of the Hanuman Deeksha Seva Samiti of Karimnagar said most devotees who conduct special pujas abstain from liquor, meat, smoking and women for 41 days and have no interest in voting.
“They are keen to complete the deeksha at the pilgrim centre. Some who have taken the vow to walk up to the pilgrim centre at Kondagattu cannot be stopped either,” he added.
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